White or Red?[Open]

[Razaphale Nightfall]

The door swung open as another person walked in to the bar. Their tall yet slender figure stalked through the onslaught of people. This place. It was so crowded. Why did he bother coming to this place? He wondered the thoughts in his head. He should've stayed out in the darkening streets however he wanted his daily bottles of wine. He enjoyed it so. He was picky. Very picky about what he drank however if it was expensive then he was usually content with it.

Strolling past a few loud drunks and a few whores he got to the bar finally. He thought it was going to take forever. When he finally got to the bar he ordered the wine he always had when he was here. When he ordered he leant on the counter slightly and then after he was assured to receive it he wandered away to the table in the corner.

The corner was shadowed well and in the darkness you'd never know he was there until he shifted and moved a bit.

Finally his wine arrived and it was set on the table before he eyed the person who brought the wine to him. She looked like a whore. If she were to offer him a proposition he'd simply agree and then drain her completely whilst making her feel a blissful sensation.

Nothing. She didn't offer or anything so that was probably a good choice on her part.

Looking at the glass that was set before him he poured a glass of the red wine in to it. The ruby red liquid glistened like a liquid jewel in the dim lighting.

He merely smiled at it before he lifted the glass to his lips and drank from it. Eyes closed as he sat there. Until someone sat across from him. Still with his eyes closed he lowered the glass to the table.

"May I enquire as to what it is that you want? Obviously you can see me sat here, so it would be a wonder as to why a stranger would take a seat across from me." Slowly he lifted his eyelids to place steely and ice cold blue eyes on the person. He eyed them as he tilted his head to one side awaiting their answer.

[Retia Maurie]

Run, run, run.
The stench of blood followed her footsteps, and attacked her senses. The world was dark, branches like skeletal hands reaching out for her, snagging her hair and scratching her face.
Suddenly, her legs fell out beneith her, and she was falling down a hole, and yet, the acrid smell followed her....

Retia gasped as she woke up, the stench her dreams becoming reality as she rubbed her sore neck. The man next to her shifted in his sleep, and the girl felt every move through the thin shift that she had been forced to change into. Her surroundings were so cramped, that you felt the breathe of those around you, smelled the sweat and caked-on blood which had featured so prominently in her nightmares.
She looked around the slave cart, which had been designed not for comfort but for profit, trying to figure out what had snapped her out of her dream. It took her a minute to realize the cart had stopped.
Retia frowned, trying to camoflauge her nerves even though there was no one to hide them from. Who was waiting out there? Was there a buyer? And more importantly, would she be the one bought? As the other slaves began to realize it themselves, the tension in the air became tangible.
Finally, the doors on the back opened, and the stuffy air whooshed out and was replaced by the sweet night air. The sight of the wooden board was replaced by a wonderfully new sight of bars and people wandering about.
This picture was ruined when an arm shot out, grabbing Retia by the collar of her shift, wrenching her out to the ground which she hit with a thud.
"Watch it!" she snapped, but the rest of her rant fell silent in her throat as the slave-driver gave her a dangerous smile.
"You're the least marked up, so we'll go to that bar." he said, pointing to a nice place, with a few drunks hanging around. He grabbed her arm this time, and dragged her towards the bar as she tried to dig her feet into the ground. She didn't want to go. No no no no no.
However, the slave driver didn't care, dragging her anyways. It hadn't taken Retia long to realize, despite this man's mousy look, he was pretty strong. The man pushed open the door with his foot, glancing around the room for someone who wasn't totally wasted. The smell of the food wafted towards them, and Retia's mouth watered. She hadn't eaten since she had left her house which was...what? Hours? Days? She didn't remember- all the days desolved together into one long day in that cramped cart.
He choice a man who was in the corner of the room, and Retia didn't notice him until the slave-driver pointed him out. "There." he didn't give her any more information then that, and pushed her towards the table. She stumbled and fell forward, grabbing the chair infront of her and falling into it.
Catching her breathe, she heard the cool voice come from across the table, and when she looked up, she saw it was matched by cool blue eyes. Despite her internal promise to be at least cordial, the cold tone of his voice irritated her. She glared at him with her own odd dark blue eyes, trying to not let the venom taint her voice...too obviously.
She tried to copy what the man had told her to say before, but it sounded odd through her clenched teeth, "Hello....SIR." she said, rushing out of the chair she had been forced it, and stood behind it, her voice sarcastically biting out the 'sir'.
"I..." she bit her lip, not wanting to say anything more.
Suddenly, the slave-driver was behind her, and placed a bony hand on her shoulder, and she shifted away from it, cringing. The feeling of his hand was like a corpse's.
"This is my slave, " he said smoothly, his voice like velvet, "I was wondering if you would like to buy her, or one of the others I have in my cart." he said, motioning towards the door.
"If you're intrested, of course."
Retia couldn't help but give the slave-driver a dirty glare. This man....how messed up do you have to be to sell other human beings? Even the smell of him reminded her of the cart. She shifted as far away from him as she could without angering him by having his hand fall off her shoulder, and ended up at an awkward angle, balancing on the edge of her feet.
She looked back at the man infront of her, her only visible eye questioning, if slightly irritated. 'Go ahead', she almost seemed to say,
Do your worst. I've been through hell. Make my day.

[Razaphale Nightfall]

Slowly Razaphale opened his eyes and what he saw made him cringe inside, though outwardly he showed nothing. No trace of sympathy or warmth towards the girl who sat there for a moment. Instead he arched a brow slightly almost questioningly as she referred to him as 'Sir' he noted the sarcasm. Yet he didn't let that get to him.

"I..." What was she going to say after that? He'd have preferred it if she could at least get out what she wanted to say. Maybe this was the first time she'd managed to proposition someone? Sitting there he waited. Watching the girl who stood behind the chair. He watched as a hand gripped the girl's shoulder and held her there. Well that was rude.

"This is my slave, " Razaphale's sense of smell made him wrinkle his nose. He didn't like it. The smell of the man made him want to physically remove him from the bar so that the air was still fresh and clean.

"And?" He asked nonchalantly he didn't sound like he cared. Then again he didn't look like he cared either. Polishing off his glass of wine he poured another. Three glasses in a bottle so he'd probably finish this bottle when the conversation was over.

"I was wondering if you would like to buy her, or one of the others I have in my cart." A motion towards the door and Razaphale rolled his eyes. His gaze shifted to the girl who was obviously forced to come here. How utterly disgusting the slaving business was such an abominate line of work. Something Razaphale would never even consider, yes it might bring in good money but what good was it when people didn't buy your stock?

"If you're intrested, of course." Sipping at his glass of wine he sat there a slender and pale hand positioned itself under his chin, the other held the glass in it's grasp and he drained the glass easily. Finally he emptied the last of the bottle in to the glass.

Looking between the man and the girl Razaphale just stared at her.

I'll help you don't worry your pretty little head. He mused in his head as he stared at her. Glancing back at the man once more he rubbed his chin for a moment. Slowly he stood from his chair taking the empty bottle in one hand. He looked as though he were going to take it back to the bar however he moved and poked the man's hand removing it from the girl's shoulder. Why was he doing this? He wasn't sure he just felt that maybe it was for the best. Taking one of the girl's arms he pulled her so that she was stood behind him. Then as quick as a flash the bottle would shatter, making a loud noise that stopped half the bar in their tracks, people stared at the three and what they'd find had happened is that Razz had broken the bottle.... Over the man's head.

"Someone clean up the mess thank you." His voice unwavering, words as calm as when he first spoke. Detached. Staring at the man he placed the broken bottle on the table.

"Yes... I'll take her... She looks worse for ware, that bottle was a reminder to treat your 'stock' better. Take good note of it. She looks like she could do with a hot meal, a drink and somewhere decent to sleep... Now... Take this for her I'm not likely to pay more and get out of here before I bite you to death and trust me I will do it." Most of his words were still cool and calm, however the last four were rather ominous, dark and meaningful. He would indeed kill this man if he stayed any longer, a few gold coins were thrown at the man's face to show that he was no better than anyone else, some coins fell to the ground and Razaphale wasn't likely to help him pick them up.

Now with a single hand he gestured for the girl to sit down.

"Please... Sit down... Don't be afraid I'm unlikely to harm you, feel free to drink what is in the glass there I'll get someone to bring another glass over here for you if you want more." Polite, well mannered towards her. Calm and fearless. He didn't seem to care much for anything and yet for some reason he'd stood for her. Defending her whether his intentions were his own or not. Some may see it as him simply chastising the slaver for his ill mannered behaviour and the way he kept his stock, others would see it as a rather well done attempt to protect the girl and rescue her from torment. It was neither. He just felt like it at the time.

[Retia Maurie]

XxXXxX

Retia stared at the man infront of her as he stood up, taking his now-empty-bottle with him, and wondered what he was going to do. Was he going to get some more wine? She scowled, but had enough sense to do so inwardly. He just finished a bottle by himself, and now he was getting another one? Jeez.

Suddenly, as the man brushed by her, she felt a cool hand grab her arm, dragging her behind him. Open-mouthed, she watched as the dark, maroon colored glass of the bottle he was holding exploded over the slave-driver's balding head, sending splinters everywhere, and causing the people in nearby tables to yelp and jump out of the way. The man collapsed to the ground, but true to form, he quickly got up on his elbows, giving Retia a dangerous look as a small stream a crimson blood formed a track down his face. The girl suddenly felt like someone had dropped ice down her back. He wasn't going to rat her out, was he? She had only heard stories of what happened to those who had tried to escape, and none of them were pretty.

So caught up with the images of being drawn and quartered, Retia almost missed what the man was saying, his pale face completely emotionless, like he was almost bored with what was happening. Both Retia and the slave-driver's eyes widened significantly as they heard his words:"-ow... Take this for her I'm not likely to pay more and get out of here before I bite you to death and trust me I will do it" . The slave-driver, evidently believing that the man infront of him was telling the truth, got up wobbly, and after depositing a wad of spit on the ground infront of the two, left with what little dignity he had left.

Retia had to bite her tounge to stop from yelling something rude at his back.

Now, the girl turned her attention to her 'savior', eyes trained on him, a small suspicion having been confirmed. Vampire, huh? She didn't really have any predetermined thoughts on vampires. All the ones she had worked for usually kept to themselves, however, nothing was more irritating than trying to get all the blood out of their clothes. The blood itself didn't really irritate her -she wasn't the type to get squimish- but the stains took some intense scrubbing to try to get out, and she was usually slaving over them for hours. However, this was balanced out quite nicely by the rather large tip they tended to leave.

Although she really was quite neutral on the thought of vampires, that didn't stop from Retia from keeping her one good eye on the man as he motioned for her to sit down. She sat down slowly in the chair he motioned to, tilting her head to keep her one good eye on him, watching for any change in apperance that would warn her of a sudden change of heart.

However, her constant diligence on the man wavered at the though of food and drink. She was suddenly quite aware of her dry mouth, and without thinking, quickly grabbed the glass, and shot down what was left in it. She instantly regretted it, and grimaced as the bitter taste slid down her throat, leaving a burning after-taste inside her mouth. Retia narrowed her dark eyes as they watered, squinting against the awful taste as she turn to face the man again. Coughing, she finally manage to sputter out a simple sentance, "Okay. Now what do you want me to do?" It was blunt and to the point, but it got the job done well. Retia was quite aware of the fact that she was no a slave- although, the entire idea hadn't really hit her yet. She was sort of seperated from the fact, like it was something she was watching, that didn't really happen to her. However, she knew enough that a slave, well....slaved. What other word was ther for it?

Suddenly, as the burning sensation faded away, she was shockingly aware of her own rudeness. She was shocked with herself at having forgotten this, but decided that how could one blame her, at a time like this? Well, that's what she told herself anyways. She steadied herself, looking the man in the eye, and managed to awkwardly utter that one over-due word: "Oh yeah...and thanks."

[Razaphale Nightfall]

He stood watching with empty eyes void of emotion as the man left him with the girl he'd now saved. Razaphale was glad to be rid of him. His cool gaze now shifted back to the girl that was near by and watched as she took a seat, then swallowed the wine down quickly. He would have warned her to drink it slowly but alas she had already drunk it by the time he was going to say anything. A sigh and a small shake of the head. The corner of his mouth threatened to tug upwards in to a small smile but the threat soon died down.

"Okay. Now what do you want me to do?" He now smiled at her before he waved a hand for someone to come over calling for them to bring some sort of menu with them. Then he parked himself in the seat across from her.

"Well when the 'waitress' gets here I would prefer it if you ordered yourself some food, and some drink. I'll pay for it of course. Then we could do with getting you some new clothes, those look a little... Tattered. I can only assume they didn't treat you well but you needn't worry I won't treat you like they did. I like to keep my employees well groomed and such." He mused almost absently.

"After that?... You can do as you like.... I'll only call on you when I really need something." He assured her, she was pretty much... Free. As it were he had no hold on her nor did he want to have such a hold on her. By the looks of things she had a mind of her own anyway.

"Oh yeah...and thanks." He blinked. Thanks? For what exactly? He tilted his head to one side and blinked. He actually looked confused.

"Why are you thanking me? I've not done anything that deserves a thank you... I can only assume you disliked the man, and I do as well. Though I would like it very much if you spoke your mind, it wouldn't phase me in the slightest if you tried to berate me since I can only think that you dislike what I suppose is a 'line of work'. I think most would despise their masters." He actually offered the girl a gentle smile, simply to show gratitude for her thanks. Even if he thought he didn't deserve it. Smiling he noticed the woman come over with a menu and set it down then he motioned for Retia to order her food and drink.

"May I ask your name? Mine is Razaphale though you may call me Razz."

[Retia Maurie]

XxXXxX

Retia's eyes widened as the man listed off his requests. She had seen a few slaves around in her day, when she would wash clothes in a small fountain that was meant for that purpose. In all their mutterings and complaints, she had never heard of a master as lax as this. As he mentioned her clothes, sne tilted her head down to examen the rips and dried blood on it. She shivered lightly in disgust, knowing full well that blood was not her own. As her head was tilited down, however, her eyepatch began to slide off, and she hurried to grab it and hold it back over the hole. Her stupid step-father had conviently decided to spend his earnings that day on gambling, so the old eyepatch she got slid down alot.

Suddenly, the girl had an epiphany. If this man kept to his word- then life would techincally be better than when she actually wasn't a slave. She would no longer have to wash huge bucketfulls of clothes from a huge number of people and races, or have to worry about the house bills since she was the only one in the house that ever paid attention to them. Although a huge weight had just been lifted off her shoulders, she still had a bitter taste in her mouth- and it wasn't from the wine. She hated the thought of being 'owned'. At least back then when she was as busy as heck she was free. But now...she shook her head, ignoring the thought. No need to worry about that now- besides, whenever she felt fed up, she could just transform into something that was 'free', and take a break for a while. What this guy didn't know won't hurt him.

Gladened by that thought, she finally returned her attention to her new owner so as to not miss what he was saying. She did a double take as she tried to process his confusing words that seemed to twist around in a confusing mess of suave coolness. Finally figuring out the meaning of his words, she stared at him like he had two heads- what had he done? Oh, I don't know, she thought to herself sarcastically, Maybe something that had something to do with him laying out the guy who had singlehandedly ruined my chances for escape with a wine bottle.... Although she had a great urge to utter these words aloud, food was on the line. If he would get pissed off and just take back his offer, she would be left starving. So she waited until the waitress walked off with an order for the biggest thing on the menu before she laid into him.

"For starters, my name is Retia," she began, "And what the heck do you mean you didn't deserve that? The slave-driver's blood is still stained on the floor!" she pointed out, toward the spot where a maid was attempting to get the stain out of the wood. "Just the fact that I'm here right now and he isn't is enough for me to thank you." she shook her head, abandoning her attempt to keep her thoughts to herself. She was just too hungry and tired to try to keep her thoughts to herself. Even doing it in normal conditions irritated her. She had always believed in the virtue of speaking her mind, and besides, her master....Razz? Said she could.

If he wanted to take it back, it was too late now.


[O.o.C- Urgh, sorry that post was so short. >< I have to go to a football game tonight, (last one of the season!!) and so I had to hurry. I won't be back until about 11:30 my time (Eastern TimeZone).....so yeah. :/ have fun! xD]

[Razaphale Nightfall]

Sitting there he eyed the girl as she made her order, she hadn't said a word yet. Was she afraid that he'd take back his offer of food? Silly girl. He was honourable and stayed true to his word though he may find a loophole there was none here.

"For starters, my name is Retia," Finally she started to speak as he motioned for a bottle of wine and it was brought over for him. Pouring the liquid in to the glass he listened to her as she spoke again.

"And what the heck do you mean you didn't deserve that? The slave-driver's blood is still stained on the floor!" He looked to the floor where the maid was still scrubbing and he blinked a few times. So that was why. It was for freeing her from the slaver. Interesting.

"Just the fact that I'm here right now and he isn't is enough for me to thank you." Razaphale felt a smile grow on his lips. People didn't thank him. This was interesting that she had. Watching as the food was brought over he eyed it as it was set in front of the girl, to order something like that she must've been hungry.

"Well I suppose you're very hungry, how long has it been? Hours? Days? Ah no matter, after you've eaten and you're replenished we'll go get you cleaned up and I'll take you to the tailors to get you a nice new outfit that suits your rather petite frame." He wasn't doing this to be nice, he just didn't want to be seen with a girl when she looked so... Dishevelled. It was bad for his reputation and also bad for others, the girl was hard on the eyes as she was now. Noticing the eye patch slide down he looked at it before he stood and then shifted around behind her tying it there so it wouldn't slip again.

"There that should be better. I'll buy you a new eye patch as well..." The words that were whispered to her before he moved and sat back down across from her. Taking the glass of new wine he sipped at it slowly. He'd treat her well. After all she was still a lady and ladies deserved to be treated kindly.

[Retia Maurie]

XxXXxX

The girl grimaced as she noticed the wine bottle approch the table, her face hinting at distaste. How much of this wine could this guy down in a night by himself? That one small glass she had was already starting to make her feel woozy.

Or maybe that was just the food.

When it came towards the table, she could feel her mouth water at the sight of the food piling up the plate. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice warned her not to over eat- it was usually bad to do so after not having eaten for awhile. But that was all forgotten when the plate was set directly infront of her, the delicious smells wafting up to her nose. She quickly dove in like someone was going to take it away from her, using her fork to scoop up a big spoonfull and shove it in her mouth, savoring the flavors. She looked back at Razz when he talked, cheeks bulging comically, and only slight aware of the embarrisment.

"'Dunno." she managed to answer through the mouthfull, covering her mouth with one hand. Although she was hungry, some rules of ettiquete had been branded into her, and she wouldn't just disregard them so quickly. She scowled as he mentioned her frame, finally managing to get all the food down her throat, and moved in for a second, smaller bite. She hated when people said she was small. She knew it was true, but such information seemed to be synonomus with weak. And God forbid that Retia would ever be thought of as weak- she had worked hard to make sure such a thing wouldn't happen. The weak one was her mother, not her.

She watched as he got up from the table, but only for a moment, and then she was back, focused on the plate sat infront of her. She gasped as she felt fingers fumbling with the strings on her patch, and moved to elbow him in the gut before noticing exactly who it was.
"Don't scare me like that!" she commanded, fixing her eyepatch so the now-tight-string covered everypart of what had once held a dark colored eye that matched the one that was now looking back at Razz.

"Thanks." she said grudgingly, although it was more of an attempt to get him to accept it then anything. If she went out of her way to give thanks, that he better should except it! She looked at him cooly, daring him to ask her to take it back.

Even so, she didn't wait to hear his reply, and went back to eating. She barely even tasted the food, and yet it tasted amazing. She had heard of such phenomenons, but had always just thought the people in question were loony. Hell, maybe she had gone crazy. Because right now, she was sitting across from a vampire who was currently her master. How fast things had changed! It couldn't have been that long ago that she was hugging her half-sister goodbye, and making that leap for freedom, was it?

She ate quickly, but only managed half the plate before sighing with happiness, and hoping that she hadn't eaten too much. As she shifted, she felt something sharp pierce her thigh, and winced. Urgh, how had she forgotten about that? She reached down to touch the trident that she had just managed to tie on to her thigh with a string from her old shirt. She frowned, remembering the feeling of not being able to stab the slave-driver with it right then and there. Even if she did manage to kill him with one hit, someone was bound to find out, and she would be on the run. She quickly moved her hand away from the sharp points, using the hand to inconpisiously push back a strand of disheveled hair. She didn't want Razz to know about the weapon just yet. Maybe later. It's not like she wanted to kill him. He had just helped her out- that would be a very rude form of repayment.

Now, she stared at the vampire expectantly. As much as she hated to admit it, he was the master now- she was just the slave. What to do next was beyond her control, and it's not like she knew where she was supposed to be going anyways. She didn't feel the need to say anything to him, just letting her questioning gaze be enough. Already, she felt the effects of stuffing herself, her eyelids feeling slightly heavier than normal. Oh well. If all went well, she would have quite a plesant night's sleep tonight.