Earn Your Place (Open)

[Kender Bard]

Regis strolled through Grandisle. He had some shore leave, his time patrolling the waters off. Every now and then he paused to share a hard look with a thief or a businesslike nod with a Morilantan or fellow pirate.

There wasn't so much of a slave market on Grandisle, as virtually everyone who could be made slaves was shipped off to Morilanta or Fireteeth. Which was a shame.

But prisoners were just as good, really. He made his way to the jail and glanced in to see if there were any natives who were currently wasting time in a cell.

[Darastrix]

There were three. One was a young man of about eighteen with short brown hair, tanned skin, and a dusting of freckles over his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. He sat on the floor of his cell, leaning back against the wall with his eyes shut. Another was a man closer to middle-age, with a white Ice sign plainly visible against the dark skin on his lower lip. He paced his cell restlessly, pausing now and then to look out the bars. The third appeared to be a woman; her back was to the door, but she had black hair reaching to midback and the barest hint of a feminine figure from what could be seen.

[Kender Bard]

Regis glanced them over and made his decision swiftly. The young man would do nicely.

He made his way to the bailiff and pointed towards the young man before signing a sheet of paper. Essentially, Regis had just agreed to take responsibility for the man. This would free him from the jail and into Regis's custody for two weeks.

It was really temporary slavery. The man would have to answer and bend to all of Regis's wills and whims. If he didn't, Regis would just unload him back into the jail where he could face death, torture, or some other punishment for his 'criminal insubordination.'

The jailer nodded and went to the cell, unlocking it. "You," he told the boy sharply. "You're being released into the care of this man here. You do what he says for the next couple of weeks and you can go home a free man again."

Regis walked up, grinning with anticipation.

[Darastrix]

His eyes opened at the turn of the key and he pushed himself to his feet slowly. A free man, he thought. Riiight. Between being free to watch these bastards helping themselves to our island, being something someone's helping himself to, or sitting in a cell, I can hardly decide which is the most fun.

"Lovely," he said aloud, eying Regis with a strong sense of misgiving. From what he'd seen, nobody from Fireteeth or Morilanta ever smiled at you for pleasant reasons.

[Kender Bard]

"Any idea what you're going to put him to?" the jailer asked Regis. But he spoke very slowly, loudly, and with exaggerated mouth movements.

Regis nodded. When he replied, his voice was a strange mix of slurring and mumbling and quite loud as well. "Errands. To start. Then we'll see!"

"Regis is nearly deaf," the jailer told the man. "So you'll have to talk like that with him. And don't be cute and think you'll have an easy time of it if you try to mess with him. Tell him your name."

[Darastrix]

Of all the people for him to get picked by, it just had to be a deaf man. A fine joke, my Lord, he thought. There was little chance he'd be able to serve by just practicing his own craft, then.

"My name is Ariel," he said to Regis, speaking with the same slow manner as the guard.

[Kender Bard]

"House?" Regis grunted. "Job?"

Not everyone on the island belonged to a House by birth. A fair number of survivors had been staff who had hidden during the slaughter and were quick to offer their services to save their own life. Though they worked for a House, they weren't members of one.

[Darastrix]

"House Sophronios," Ariel answered. "I'm a bard." He wasn't particularly glad to be a bard of a House that had turned traitor, but he hadn't had any better options than Grandisle's nobles had been presented with. If he wanted to stay with any House, it would have to have been one of the turncoats. The others weren't exactly around to hire anyone.

[Kender Bard]

Regis made a somewhat disappointed sound at that. Oh well. He could make this work to his advantage. "How'd you get in trouble?" he asked as he began heading for the rough, 'little' market that was now occupying the center of the island after some buildings had been torn down. So far, Fire and Spice hadn't made a full recovery and Zenais wasn't in the mood to open up trade relations to the other islands.

[Darastrix]

"I apparently sang the wrong song," Ariel replied. Keeping the scorn out of his voice was a little easier since he had to speak so that Regis could understand him, but it was still there. "I'm told it was seditious." He'd also been told that it would be his head next time--literally.

Damn it, though. They'd taken everything else and now they were taking their music? Ariel knew he ought to be thankful that he hadn't been overheard by someone who would take offense before now, but it was hard to feel that way. Queen Delilah had never made her court act like they agreed with everything she decreed. The people could, and had, argued with her openly. Now they couldn't make a peep of dissent without risking everything.

[Kender Bard]

Regis seemed amused by that and gave a low chuckle, although he wasn't really sure what seditious meant. He had a rough idea, though. "Learn to lick boots. Make a song about the glory of Morilanta. Your life will be much, much easier!"

He paused by a stall selling some cute little trinkets and items plundered from one of the Homes. He didn't care for most of them but the ornamental dagger with an ivory handle and decorated sheathe caught his eye. "You know how to bargain?"

[Darastrix]

He’d heard that kind of talk before. ‘Learn to like the taste of boot leather; you’ll be happier for it.’ Maybe it would end up getting him killed, but he just couldn’t.

Ariel glanced at the goods for sale without much interest, but nodded at Regis’ question. “I do.”

[Kender Bard]

"Well that's what you're going to do for me this afternoon," Regis instructed. "Merchants don't like it when you shout! They charge you extra because you annoyed them!"

He pointed to the dagger. "If I point, you start bargaining for it."

[Darastrix]

Well, Ariel thought. I suppose it could be worse. He could have been taken to muck out an animal’s pen or something.

“Excuse me!” he called to get the merchant’s attention. “How much are you asking for that dagger there?”