Blood Pacts (Athene & East)

[LadyAthene]

Alaune Do'luth​

In hindsight, it probably shouldn't be too amazing that she was here. Her surname did mean 'walkers in the exiled', after all. Maybe it was a sick and twisted sense of foreshadowing, and thus something Alaune should have seen coming. Regardless, that didn't begin to mean Alaune wasn't furious at the new situation she'd found herself in. No, if anything, she was absolutely livid, and if it wasn't easy enough to see in her eyes, it could be noted from the tremors and quakes traveling along her body. Her fingernails dug into her palms - which were chained behind her back - threatening to break past the first layer of skin and draw a bit of blood. Some smug hume was speaking up on the stage, but in truth? She was only partially paying attention to the male.

Dwelling on the very recent past may not do anything for her now. She knew and understood that.

But so help me ... if I get out of this, you damn well better run, Alakdriirn.

If anyone could hear her inner thoughts - or even see the flashback slowly playing through her head - they would know Alakdriirn was her brother. Eldest, technically; however, with Drow society being the way it was, that was often viewed as a shameful position. Women, by default, were in charge, and men were meant to be next to little as far as status and ranks went. This was exactly why, during the last raid she had gone on with Alakdriirn and some other scouts and comrades, her brother ended up sabotaging the entire thing.

And ... this was the result. With her having been literally dragged away from home and brought up to the surface. There were, she supposed, a few silver linings here and there ... but none of them really began to make her feel even the slightest bit better about the betrayal, and thus her inevitable fate.

"We'll start the bidding at two-hundred and fifty thousand gold pieces!"

Fortunately, or unfortunately - depending on one's point of view - Alaune did know a bit of Common ... or English, as the humes preferred to call it. The word 'bidding' was all she needed to comprehend to know that, like it or not, things had officially begun.

Her teeth latched onto her lower lip as she felt her shaking strengthen.

Is there really nothing that can be done?!

The shackles adorning her wrists, as well as a metal collar with a chain leash attached, all insisted the answer was yes. Some bastard - or bitch if it was a woman who had done this - had enhanced the restraints. Alaune didn't dabble in much magic; or perhaps the better wording was she had never managed to get her mana under wraps. Such was the curse of a psion, though; one of the few magic casters who didn't force on the Divine nor the Arcane powers. They were ... their own category. And especially among Drow, Psions tended to be very ill-omens.

Her mother had simply put up with it because she was the eldest daughter. But even Alaune knew her own mother had been as on edge about her own kin as Alakdriirn had. Hell, as far as she knew - or could assume - the two had likely conspired ... and that simply fueled her rage on even more so.

"Usstan xuat vith'ez ssinssrin nindol! Cha'kohk mina!"

A few more snickers and sneers resounded from the buyers.

Ignorant humes! Do they even understand me?!

Likely not ... which did little more to make her mood any better. A scoff passed her lips as Alaune turned her head and slowly closed her eyes. With these restraints, there was only one thing to do .. even if she didn't want to. And it was wait for everything to end, for the talking to die down and stop.

Afterwards?

It'd depend, she supposed. But off the top of her head? She knew for sure that no matter whom ended up buying her, she had zero intentions of remaining with them for long. Damn this auction, and damn the consequences that may come with her running away. It'd be worth it in the end; that was what she felt certain about, anyway.