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55
It turned out closing my eyes made the experience a little easier. As we made our way down to the courtyard I could hear how crowded it was, but at least I didn’t have to look at anyone. I heard the men murmuring about my leg and how odd it looked. They all sounded excited to see it up close.
The light went from bright to muted and I assumed we were inside the tent.
“How is best?” I heard Master Evan ask.
“We should display the marked leg,” Master Bane said.
An air current like I had felt at the auction billowed up around my right leg. It was bent at the knee and then held in the air. Much like the last time I experience these currents I couldn’t fight them.
Master Damien went outside the tent and talked. I could hear his authoritative voice booming out. I shuddered thinking I had been left alone here and then I heard Master Christof’s voice beside me.
Master Christof stood next to me whispering calming words in my ear. I asked him what was going to happen in a whisper. The men that just wanted to look at my leg would come in, look at it, and leave, he told me. The men that wished to be trained on keeping an Earth slave would come later.
The sound of feet filled the tent. Men commented on my leg and asked to touch it. Several asked to taste it.
“Slaves are not touched in the tent,” Master Bane said casually.
The men surrounding me insisted they really wanted to explore that leg. My owners continued to say they could not touch. I relaxed knowing they would not deviate from what they said they would do.
My body jolted when I felt a brush on my leg and then it sounded like a fight had broken out. I could hear the sounds of fists crashing into bone and yelling. I wanted to look, but that would only get me in trouble. It wasn’t like I could have moved away from a stray attack anyway, my leg was tethered to the table.
“Cousins,” I heard Master Damien say authoritatively, “slaves are not touched in the tent. Do not try our patience.”
“I am here, Ciara,” Master Bane whispered in my ear from my right.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .
Master Christof said the same thing from my left. I relaxed completely knowing they surrounded me.
The activity continued with a bit of grumbling. The other Warriors didn’t want to risk the wrath of my owners again, but that leg was such an anomaly. They still wanted to touch and explore it.
I wondered suddenly what my owners thought of the markings. Did it turn them off? Did they think I looked gross now? It didn’t sound like they were trying to sell me to the men that were looking, but what if that was what they wanted to do? I had never thought to ask them any of those questions. My brows furrowed as I thought about it.
Warm breath was caressing my face suddenly.
“Ciara,” Master Kein whispered, “what are you thinking about?”
“My leg, Master Kein,” I answered softly.
“Look at me,” he commanded.
I opened my eyes and his face was just above mine. My peripherals took in the line of men filing past me on the other side.
“Ciara, look at me,” he commanded again and I focused on him.
Master Kein used a finger to turn my head toward him a little. That was probably a good idea. I was tempted to watch everything else that was going on.
“What are you thinking about your leg?” he asked.
“Do you think it is ugly?” I blurted out.
Master Kein looked confused, but answered that no, he didn’t think it was ugly. He looked at me like I was strange for a moment longer and told me to close my eyes.
It seemed like every Warrior in the compound came out to look at my leg. I was glad I was used to walking around everywhere nude or this would have been just awful. As it was most of these men had probably already seen me.
Once the curious were done, the sounds in the tent changed. It sounded like men were coming in and staying. They were talking casually about the prices of slaves and how much they should pay. I heard debates about what species of slave was best, some argued for humans, some argued against.
The cost of an Earth slave was certainly a detriment and then there were the daily costs. The nutrient drink we needed every day was pricey, as were the worms. Other types of slaves did not require such specialized care.
My upper back was a stiff from laying like I was. I tried to shift around a little and relieve the pressure, but my leg and foot were still elevated. That prevented me from moving around too much. I couldn’t find a better position
I felt the wind holding my leg up relax and lower it back to the table. Master Bane’s voice was in my ear a moment later.
“Roll onto your stomach, Ciara,” he told me.
I rolled over and got comfortable resting on my arms. I heard Master Damien start to talk. It sounded like a lecture on health. The topic could have been, How to Feed and Care for a Human.
A hand came down and started to caress my back. The oil still had my skin feeling slick. It was relaxing, like a massage. I peeked through my lids and saw Master Bane leaning on the floating pad while he petted me.
I marveled at what a good looking man he was. His short beard covered a very attractive jaw line. I wondered what he’d look like without the extra hair. He didn’t seem to notice me watching him.
I closed my eyes and felt breath in my ear, “Don’t do that again, Ciara,” Master Bane’s voice warned.
Master Damien went over every aspect of my care. It was interesting to realize what they noticed and I started to listen closely. My weight, the speed at which I moved, and the way my skin looked all were part of determining my overall health.
They were very specific about my grooming needs; especially the way my hair should be treated and cared for. Several men in the audience snorted and said they would take it all off. Master Damien advised against that, humans were obsessive about their hair. It would make the transition worse. The men murmured amongst themselves for a while before Master Damien continued.
My eyes were a very important indicator of how I was feeling, Master Damien told them. He taught them how to watch the centers for fear, anger, happiness, and arousal. When I was ill or not sleeping well the eyes became sunken. The way he talked, they had watching me down to a science.