A Tale of Scales (Bismuth & Benevolent4444)

[Bismuth]

The port city of Precipae was always bustling, one of the larger cities in the kingdom. It was mid afternoon and Rowan had arrived by sea that morning. His ship awaited him in the harbor. He had traded much of his goods and his pockets were heavy with coin. He already knew what he was going to invest the coin into. He needed help, a crew so to speak. There were many hands for hire, who would work for a captain that owned or operated his own ship. However, Rowan didn't like the idea of paying someone who might steal or abandon his duties. Not only that but they would drain his earnings. Instead, he turned to the large slave market this city.

To his surprise, unlike the places where black market goods were sold, this place was cleaner and more presentable, despite the nature of the business. The open market sat under many large shades, the sheets that were stretched from post to post fluttered in the wind high enough that there were wagons parked under many of them. The area even had a fenced horse pen for the merchants to keep their animals while they hawked their goods to those who wandered through this part of the city.

Some of the men waved down Rowan, offering him their wares. Many humans, like himself were for sale, however every time he go to the point of haggling, he found himself scoffing at the prices the slave traders were demanding. He meandered from trader to trader continually becoming disappointed as he started to think that he might be better off smuggling slaves than contraband like he was used to. If it was this lucrative, perhaps he should consider it.

Soon, Rowan found himself at a different kind of trader. This one specialized in lesser creatures. He looked from cage to cage, each one contained a small kobold.

"Oi, welcome good sir. Are you looking to buy? Their backs are not as strong as a human's but with the proper training, I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed!" A man said as he approached Rowan. The man was slender and a little ragged looking. A hand-rolled cigarette stuck out from his withered mouth which was surrounded by the yellowed-stained hair of his poorly groomed white facial hair. Another equally unkempt man sat on the driver's seat of the wagon, kicked back as he glanced up from the small book he was reading.

Rowan didn't consider himself very well groomed or put together. A life at sea always had him lacking in his standards, but he always cleaned up when coming to shore. His face was recently shaven and clean looking. He sported a short and modest beard and mustache, and he even had a chance to wash his thick dark hair as well as the salt from his skin. He wore some nice clothes, basic trousers and buttoned up shirt with a light vest over it. A sword sat on his hip and a knife on the other. Inside his pants, hanging from his belt he kept his coin purse so it could not be cut away from his hip.
"How much are you offering for them?" Rowan asked.

"It depends. I've only got three left. Two females and a male." he walked around and banged on the cage of one of the females closest to them. "They're healthy and ready to work. Ye might need to train them. Five gold marks a piece." He said.

Rowan sighed. This was a third of the price of a human, for something that was barely a third of the size of a human if he was being generous. He wondered just how effective a small kobold like this could really be. Leaning forward, Rowan peered at the female in the first cage. She appeared to be the healthiest, and more liveliest of the bunch. "Do you speak?" He asked the kobold. "How strong are you?"

 

[Benevolent4444]

Snarling, Lox snapped at the bars of the cage and bared her claws at the muscular human that had spoken to her. She was sick and tired of being ogled, and had done her best to scare off any of those who attempted to examine her. As she continued to practically bark at the man outside the cage, the older man who had dragged her cage out there that day once again banged on the top and cursed at her to behave, looking at Rowan a bit sheepishly.

She noticed the younger man who had addressed her didn't flinch though, just continued to look at her. she drew back, still baring her teeth. "Strong enough to gut you like a pig!" she spat out, demonstrating a thorough understanding of the common language. Having been passed over many times, and passed around from one seller to another for cheaper and cheaper, she had spent many nights locked away and privy to the ongoing conversations of the people around her. Her higher than usual intelligence allowed her to pick it up and begin to understand that she was the reason why they continued to be unable to sell her. Females of her species were less desirable for hard labor, and only the simple minded and obedient females were sold off to males of various other species to be used accordingly. She was not simple or obedient.

"Look," said the older man as he glared down at Lox. "I'll charge you three for this one. Its a strong, healthy sort and there are methods I can suggest for taming it..." he finished, miming a few unmentionable actions to Rowan with a perverse expression and a smarmy wink. Lox, doubting the human would spring for even that deal, curled in on herself and tried to cover what she could with her body length tail. she was able to wrap herself around it at least two and a half times, vaguely covering some of her legs and back as she held her knees close enough to rest her chin on. The potential buyer would likely buy one of the others, kabolds she hadn't bothered to socialize with, knowing their fate would likely be unpleasant and not wanting to form any bonds to doomed beings.

 

[Bismuth]

Rowan drew back ever so slightly from her vicious demeanor. If she was trying to dissuade him, it certainly was effective, however, she was unaware of Rowan's situation. Her certainly didn't have the coin to spend on a proper slave for himself. Looking up, he glanced at the other two kobolds locked in their cages. For a moment, he didn't speak as he considered the others. He even took a moment to step to the other two cages and inspect the other kobolds. The slave trader watched him, offering no words for the moment.

Looking at each of the kobolds, these one's seemed meek. Rowan thought about it and considered his options. These submissive kobolds would be easy to control, but they would fold under any kind of pressure. The first one however... he glanced back at Lox. She would be tough, her attitude would serve his purposes but it would also be a problem. And... she was cheap. He could save a bit of coin if he was willing to put some work into this one.

"Have you made up your mind?" The man asked Rowan, seeming a touch impatient.

Rowan narrowed his eyes at the man. He was crass, especially at the comment of the man's suggested training method. Rowan was aware of all the things that happened to slaves... but this was a kobold. The idea of doing such things with a lesser creature like a kobold; it was akin to doing the same to an animal.
After taking a deep breath, Rowan figured he had little choice left. This on was his best choice.

"Two gold, fifty silver." Rowan replied, and I'll take this troublesome one off your hands."

The trader exhaled with a little sound of defeat, yet it seemed like he was sick of hauling this stubborn kobold about. "Okay, fine. Your have yourself a deal. I assume you came prepared?"

Rowan nodded and pulled his satchel in front of him. He retrieved a basic leather collar and some leather-padded shackles. "I did. Do you know where I might find some other tools to train this one?"

The man nodded further into the trade district he was in. "There are several vendors not far from there that can help you. They have all sorts of supplies for the business. You might even find something laced with magic, like daze crowns, or dully dust, even special collars. You'll pay a little extra for the magical stuff." He replied. "Coins first, then I'll open this cage. Its up to you to get that collar on this one's neck. I'm not going to grapple with this one again. She bites!" He warned.

Rowan draped the shackles over his bag and untucked the coin purse from his belt. He counted out the two gold marks then a stack of fifty silvers. His purse was significantly lighter now as he tucked it back in and handed the merchant his due coin. The older man then proceeded to unlock the kobold's cage while Rowan prepared the collar and shackles. He stood in front of the cage, expecting a struggle and met the kobold's gaze.

"Don't cause me any trouble now, ya hear. I won't make this pleasant if you do." He said in a serious tone. The cage door opened and Rowan moved to block her in, then attempted to reach in and secure the kobold.

 

[Benevolent4444]

Lox had looked up when she heard the human agree to purchase her, and was still staring in shock as she heard the coin jingling and the conversating that occurred. She didn't think her disposition would ever fail her in preventing her own sale, and she thought about the things she had heard happened to the others that had been sold and been broken through various means. Her stomach sank, and she curled her tail tighter around herself as her face fell into a state of utter shock and fear.

She had barely had the chance to scoot back the slightest bit before the human was rounding on her cage and preparing the prisoners implements the humans so favored using. She watched as he leant down, and spoke to her in a no-nonsense kind of voice. Her shock was still wearing off, but when he opened the door and blocked most of her exit with his big torso, she made a more earnest attempt to scoot back until her scales touched the bars. She wore no clothes and had no weapons obviously, but she could effectively use her teeth and claws just as well as she could brandish them.

She struck out at his hands, easily digging into his skin and tearing it with her hands, and bit the air where his fingers would draw close, anticipating when he would reach out that far. She did her best to mar every inch of skin she could reach, and if she managed to get her teeth into his flesh she would hold on, and hope he would rip himself out and her along with him, giving her the opportunity to escape. While she may not be able to outrun every human ever, she was confident she was faster than the big man in front of her, surely he would be too heavy to keep up.

 

[Bismuth]

Rowan could sense her outright refusal to what what happening. It was very apparent that she was not going to go with him without a fight. The useless salesman was not going to help either. With the close quarters of the cage, as he crouched in front of it, he knew there was no way he was going to come out of this unscathed. Adrenaline rushed through him as he prepared himself for what was to come.

As he reached inside she clawed his arms and snapped at him. He had resolved himself to make this quick and end this before more damage could be done. With a keep eye and intent, he lunged into the cage and went for her neck. Both of his hands clasped around her neck and he ignored the pain and the claws that tore at his shirt and arms. At least she was small enough that he could keep his face out of range and hold her at arms length. With his grip on her throat, he could keep her snapping teeth away from himself. Rowan gritted his teeth and felt bright pain lance at his arms and he quickly hauled her out of the cage.

He was quick to throw her onto the ground. He nearly threw her and shoved her into the cobblestone of the court in which all the merchants had set up shop. She was shoved down to the ground and Rowan had jumped atop the small kobold's back, his knee pinning her as he hurried to put her in a position where she could do him no more damage. His arms stung and bled. His sleeves were ruined and stained in red as he worked to wrestle the kobold to the ground and subdue her.

"You little shit!" He hissed with pain.

The trader grinned and huffed with some amusement. "I warned yeh!" He teased Rowan. "Thanks for taking this one off my hands. All sales are final!" He seemed gleeful as he spoke. "Word of advice, you may want to go visit that market, with the magical trinkets. You may need it with this one. Heh heheh~." He said, before laughing at the struggle Rowan had to endure to get this one under control.

Rowan didn't respond right away as he began to retrieve the shackles he had prepared.

 

[Benevolent4444]

As she felt the tear of his flesh, she was satisfied with the damage she was doing but continued to fight even after she was taken by her throat. Her insides clenched at the feeling of being gripped that way, her mating instinct readying her body for what it thought was about to come. She ignored it, and the growing moisture in her core, in favor of continuing to do what she could until she was put down by the large man.

She yelped and hissed as she was dragged out, making a noise of anger and surprise as she was taken to the ground and held down. Her body readied further, and she knew she would leave a small spot on the ground when she was hoisted up, which gave her pause with her struggling. Not that she could achieve anything anyway, she couldnt even hope to lift the weight bearing down on her back, and she continued to bare her claws but she was no longer able to strike out as before. She would give him hell if she could when he tried to put the wrist metal on, but she wouldnt likely do much more than a few fresh scratches to his hands, if even that.

Lox only prayed that the human she was being taken by would either be kind, or stupid enough to allow her eventual escape. She hoped more the the latter, knowing she likely wouldnt be able to return to her home but happy to attempt survival in the forests of the humans lands, familiar with how prosperous a forest can be with small critters and various vegetation to eat. She could easily distinguish between poisonous/venomous and edible, and would use it to her full ability.

 

[Bismuth]

Rowan gritted his teeth through the discomfort. Really, he could not blame the kobold for her reaction. To be in such a position he wasn't sure he would have reacted any better. Still, the pain put him in an unpleasant mood and he kept her shoved to the ground. Rowan collected her wrists and forcefully set them behind her back before clamping her wrists in the cuffs. Then he took a moment to wrap her neck in the collar he had purchased and the cheap leather leash which he attached to the collar. Finally, he stood up off of her and tugged on the leash. He quickly reached down and hauled the kobold up on her feet and crouched in front of her.

His arms were stained with bloody scratches, but he was not bleeding profusely. He reached out with his other hand and snatched on of the kobold's horns, turning her head to face him. "I warned you. You can make this as unpleasant as you'd like, but you belong to me now." He said.

He didn't wait for an answer and stood. With minor effort, he scooped the kobold up and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He caught a glimpse of the damp spot on the cobblestone where he had her pressed and thought offhandedly that he had properly frightened the kobold, thinking she had probably just slightly wet herself. Though, it was not in the way he assumed. He brushed off the thought, with more important matters on his mind. He nodded his thanks to the merchant then was off.

They drew a few eyes as they went, but none were particularly surprised or interested as they moved through the market. Rowan had some other tasks to finish before evening and was prepared to spend the excess coin from his last job on his new slave here. He moved swiftly out of the slave district and onto a street with some shops related to the nearby market. There were many types of shops. Some of them specialized in outfits, others in basic supplies like shackles and other control devices, while others had much more specific intentions, such things that drew a blush of red to Rowan's face as he thought about what the slave trader had told him and the lewd gestures the man had made to get his point across. He turned into one of the shops which specialized in some basic clothes and equipment for slavers. They had everything from collars to minor devices of punishment and torture.

Rowan set Lox down and took up her cheap lead, wrapping it around his wrist and keeping her on a short and tight hold. He glared at her, but said nothing, and began to move through the shop where he began selecting some items for her. A cloak and some ratty clothes to cover the kobold's nakedness. A new pair of quality cuffs, as well as a muzzle that he wanted to ask the shopkeeper to adjust to fit the kobolds face. He had also picked out a collar he liked for her but as he approached the counter, he saw within glass display case there were several other collars that caught his attention. One in particular which appeared to be a solid gold ring collar, large enough to wrap around his thigh Upon closer inspection, it had some strange glyphs engraved into it. In the same case was a necklace, golden just like the collar and a small pendant which seemed to have similar runes engraved into it. The price caught his eye, a small label showed that it would cost him the rest of his pocket money and he would not be able to afford better shackles or a leash. Rowan had been looking and the shopkeeper had noticed.

"Aye! Something caught your eye? That be a bonding collar. Usually folks use it on unruly animal companions or steeds, but some slavers like to use them as well." The man that stood behind the counter was a large man, with a thick moustache and a balding head. His belly was big and round and he leaned on the counter as if standing was a chore for him. "Its perfect for the stupid types, or simple beasts." He added, gesturing at Lox.

 

[Benevolent4444]

Lox continued to struggle however she could, but unable to do much more than wiggle her reptilian body as it was thrown up on the broad shoulder of the large human. She was struggling with mind fog from the restraints, her core still wet but not as it was when she was pinned to the ground. She tried to focus on anything, seeing the various wares and shops they passed by through the slight haze, feeling belligerent and drunk because of it. He lifted her easily enough, maybe she should stop hoping for escape and start hoping for the human to be a decent one. Amongst her struggling, she did not notice any onlookers or prying eyes, uncaring about any attention she might draw.

When he put her down, she practically collapsed to the ground for a moment, her body feeling somewhat like rubber. She recovered quickly enough from it, and could not focus enough to attempt any more attacks for the time being as she was pulled around by the neck binding. She followed, slightly hunched and focusing on the floor except for looking up at the occasional shiny thing. She watched the human out of the corner of her eye gathering things, different versions of the same restraints he had on her. Some clothes, and a cloak, low quality things she would likely tear up rather than wear anyway.

When they approached the glass display, she lifted her head more intently than before, the gold items he also seemed to be looking at catching her gaze and holding it. It was real gold, and while she had no idea about the markings on it, she knew she wanted to have them whether or not they fit her slim neck or not. The humans spoke about the items, and she snorted. A magical collar would not be enough to contain her, and she would still attack when and how she could at the earliest opportunity. The man behind the counter was rotund and stank like meat and liquor, and she scrunched up her face, bearing her teeth like a dog just from the smell. She only bothered to half listen to the conversation, not able to read the price labels despite having a vague idea of how much money he had left by the scent of his pouch.

 

[Bismuth]

Rowan was thankful the kobold had decided not to cause him any more trouble thus far. He looked from the collar then to her, then back to the collar and finally to the shop keeper. "It looks a little too big." Rowan said. "But something like that might be pretty useful."

The shop keeper shook his head. "Ah, it may appear so, but such a collar is meant to be adjustable." He said, leaning over and opening the case from the back. He removed the collar and held it up. Looking along the inside of the band where the runes were carved, he found the one he was looking for. Setting his thumb to it he seemed to squeeze the collar and it shrunk. There were no seams, no clasps or any mechanics in it. Rather the collar condensed, growing thicker. He then pulled on it and it drew out, larger and thinner. "See! This collar can fit any beast- err... or kobold. As long as its not human, it cannot activate the collar like this." He explained.

Rowan was watching with fascination. For the price of the kobold herself, it might be worth it. "If you can give me a deal on it, I'll buy these too." He said setting down the shackles and the leash he had intended to purchase.

The shop keeper shook his head. "No no- I've already lowered the price on this because I haven't been able to sell it. I'd rather take a trip to another city to try my luck there instead." He explained. "You still want it."

Rowan sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I'll take it." Rowan produced the coin and the man set out the collar and the necklace for Rowan. Picking it up, Rowan took a look at the runes for himself. "How does it work?"

The shop keeper shrugged. "Dunno. All I was told is what it is capable of, and how to activate the size rune set. There are other rune sets there too, but I am not certain what their purposes are. You would have to find someone who speaks that language."

Rowan found the size rune and managed to pull open the ring of metal himself so that it was large enough to go over the kobold's head and horns. He turned to Lox and looked down at her. "This is for you." He said to her. "You are to wear this for me." Rowan reached down and attempted to set the loop of metal over her head. If she allowed him to without any resistance, he would size it to her neck so she would be unable to pull it off.

 

[Benevolent4444]

Lox, who was still caught up in staring at the golden band, watched in awe as it was taken from the case and size adjusted. She sensed the jolt of magic from it, the same way an animal might sense an impending storm. She gleaned that the human who owned her was going to purchase the items, and she couldn't decide whether or not to bare her teeth or beg for the item to be hers. Imagine her disbelief when he turned to her, made the ring big enough to fit over her horns and told her it would be hers.

She barely moved, not snapping or bearing her teeth. She barely dared to breathe, lest she inspire the human to change his mind and take this precious piece away from her again. She was once again given a bit of a chill, her hackles raising the slightest bit at the feeling of the magic settling the size of the necklace around her throat. It was cold, and she wouldn't warm it up herself with her cool blood. She felt the buzz of energy where it made contact with her scales, an empty crackling for the time being that she felt unsure about. She took some comfort in having it, thinking she could sell it later on if she had the chance to escape, but it was still looking relatively unlikely.

Lox continued to hold her tongue, but she relished the scent of the golden band, She knew the human had drained his coin for it, and she wondered what awful things this magic could be capable of, for him to spend so much on it. She prayed it wasn't too bad, not many things could be worse than the pain she had endured during her capture and the ensuing months anyway.

 

[Bismuth]

Rowan stood up straight, looking down at the kobold with her new golden collar. He liked the way it contrasted her scales. Making her look almost as if she were simply wearing jewelry. Rowan smiled then turned his attention to the necklace. He picked it up next and unlike the collar, he got a sense that there was an energy coming from it. It must have been magic. He had little experience with magic, and that was by choice, but now he was making an exception hoping that it could make his life easier.

As he draped the necklace over his neck, he could feel the same crackle of energy that she had felt when the collar had set over her neck. In an instant, and to his surprise he caught a new sensation that he had not expected to feel. A detatched emotion, concern and uncertainty, minglied with a little excitement. His eyes took her in. So this was how it worked, he thought as he realized that he could sense her. It didn't tell him why she felt this way, but he could guess as most of it. The uncertainly was obvious, but the excitement he did not realize was from receiving what seemed to be quite the treasure for her to wear.
Pulling his eyes away from her, he picked up the pendant in his fingers and inspected it again. It was small, with a little green gem in the center. Around it were a set of runes.

Turning back to Lox he crouched in front of her. He reached forward and looked her into the eye as he removed the poorly made leash from her neck only to clip it around the new golden ring instead. He then worked at the other collar and removed it too. "I think its time I properly introduce myself." He said as his hands came away and he rubbed at his still stinging wrists. The blood on his sleeves had already dried and his arms felt tight and uncomfortable. His demeanor was serious yet not unkind. "My name is Rowan. I am your new master and you will address me as such. Do you have a name, or do I get to call you whatever I want?" He stood back up, towering over the small kobold and held her by the end of the leash which hung slack by her side. Looking down at her, she would sense a feeling of possessiveness coming from him, in his mind, she was his now. So far, he was pleased with her quiet demeanor and was willing to overlook her earlier ferocity assuming that she had simply been treated harshly.

 

[Benevolent4444]

Lox continued to stare down as much as possible, but her eyes widened when she sensed the beginning of the connection as well. She could sense his feelings, and the pain that she had inflicted on him, which gave her a small amount of satisfaction. He studied his own piece of the magical connection, and she once again wondered if the runes on his necklace would do terrible things to her. She still prayed not, but would still do her best to escape regardless. When he crouched to speak to her, she wouldn't meet his eyes.



She saw him stand again, and very quietly, barely a whisper, said "Lox." Her voice was hoarse, sounding more animal than anything. Likely due to the hissing and growling, she hadn't used her proper voice in so long she couldn't even recall the last things she had said, aside from threatening him earlier. She did feel his possessiveness, and it wasn't an unpleasant feeling, but she still resented it.



He would feel her resentment and anger primarily, but it had been the primary emotions in her for a long time at that point. Somewhere underneath, he would feel the pleasure of having the golden choker on, as well as the very vague needing haze she still contended with due to the cuffs around her wrists. She cursed this feeling of course, but couldn't help its influence. He would need to really dial in to sense it. He would also sense her need to escape, the feeling of needing to get free again. This would also be below most everything else, a quiet seething feeling.

 

[Bismuth]

It took Rowan a moment to process all the the sensations, but finally he spoke again. "Lox. I can tell you're conflicted about your predicament. Your time with me doesn't have to be an unpleasant one. It will be up to you to make your time with me pleasant or not."

Rowan pulled his eyes from off of her and looked about the shop. He had neglected getting her clothes over the fancy collar he had purchased. He had some spare copper, but that wouldn't get him anything in here. "Do you have anything I can use to cover her up?" Rowan asked the man behind the counter.

The man seemed to understand, but was happy to have made the sale anyway. "I have something you can take." He replied, turning to some drawers behind him. He leaned down, revealing the upper crack of his backside as he rummaged through a large drawer. Turning back to them he tossed some clean but scrappy piece of clothing on the counter. Rowan picked them up, inspecting the old shirt. It would do. He turned and looked down at Lox.

"You'll have to make due with these until I can get you something better." He said then offered her the secondhand shirt. He pushed it against her chest for her to grab while his other hand removed the leash again so that she could pull it on over her head. It would cover her, all the parts that mattered at least but it didn't offer much in the way of warmth or protection. He waited for her to dress, eager to leave the shop and get on with his day.

 

[Benevolent4444]

Lox heard him speak, but only partially took onboard what he had said. She would still try to escape at the earliest opportunity. She heard him turn to the shopkeep and ask for something to put on her, not knowing she would refuse anyway. When he pushed the piece of fabric into her arms, she simply dropped it and turned to sprint away.

 

[Bismuth]

Rowan saw her turn and dash. He at least made an attempt to reach out and snatch her, but she was quick. Rowan cursed under his breath and shot the shopkeeper a look when the man started laughing in amusement.

"The amulet. You may want to try it." He said, unable to hide his amused grin.

Rowan plucked up the amulet on his necklace and looked at the four runes that were inscribed upon it.

🖇 ✧ இ ⚭
​

From what he could tell, each one served a different function. The first one looked like a chain, it had been the same one that he had activated on her collar. The other three he could only guess at what they did. He tried the second one, the four-sided star. He pressed his finger into it and felt a little zing of magic as the amulet reacted to him. Suddenly a new sense overcame him. He was able to sense where she was, how far she was and in what direction. Rowan irritation evaporated and he grinned in satisfaction. He glanced back up at the shop keeper and nodded to him. "Thanks."

Rowan then picked up her rags and walked out of the shop, confident that she was not going to escape after all. He had been ready to give chase, but she was surprisingly fast. Instead, he could now collect her at his leisure. He began to make his way through the streets as he followed the sense. He could tell she was still moving, but eventually she would have to stop. As he went, he considered what the other two symbols meant. He was tempted to try them, but he would have preferred to have her close by and under control when he did.

 

[Benevolent4444]

Lox breathed heavily as she ran, once she was out of the shop taking off in a random direction. She knew nothing about where she was but she knew to some degree that she would need some kind of boat to return to her home. She scented salt water, and moving as quickly as she could with the little energy she could spare from her previously meager diet, she moved in that direction. She could still feel the collar crackling, but ignored it and any feelings she got from the counterpart amulet in favor of focusing on her running. She ran out of steam once or twice, but managed to keep herself moving if a little slowly at times. Her slow pace still outpaced most humans, and she was more than certain that she had lost the man who had bought her and consequently freed her.

Once she got closer, she began using her eyes to search for docks. The scent was heavy in the air and she knew it must be nearby, but she was no longer able to use her nose to perfectly pinpoint it. Rounding a corner revealed them, along with several ships and the humans moving off and on the massive vessels either carrying packs or supplies. She stuck to the shadows, simply observing, wondering how she would go about her task. She knew english, and would easily pick up on conversations that mentioned her home. She would offer her necklace for payment if necessary, but she would get there one way or another.

As she found a nice listening spot, she settled in. It was down an alleyway, behind a small set of crates. She focused out towards the water, entirely unaware of any back entrances to the alleyway she was hiding in.

 

[Bismuth]

Rowan didn't waste his energy rushing through the city. He quickly realized his kobold was making her way to the docks. He wondered to himself why and worried that perhaps his slave could be harmed, or captured and stolen. He began to fret as he moved faster. The route it led him had him cutting across streets and through alleys. It wasn't long before he was weaving through one crammed alley, one which had been turned into a depository for empty crates. She was close and so he stepped carefully.

He saw her as he snuck around a pile of crates. She was peering out of the alley from the other way. In that moment, if she was paying attention, she might sense his change in mood. That possessive sense coming over him again. He could catch her now. Rowan closed the distance as much as possible, but his foot stepped in a small puddle, making the slightest splash. It was enough to alert her and he knew it. So, Rowan rushed the Kobold. He sprinted and lunged for her, attempting to tackle her against the crates she was hiding behind. He braced himself for another clawing. His arms still hurt, and he was irritated already by having to chase her down. "Lox!" he growled as his hands went to snatch the collar on her neck. "Don't you dare fight me!" He warned her.

 

[Benevolent4444]

Lox did notice the change in his mood, but didnt put together what it meant until she heard him splash behind her, and turned to see him lunging for her. He gripped her up by the collar, back against the crates as she snapped and snarled but couldnt do any damage with her teeth because of how he held her. At first the lashed out with her claws as well, but she could feel the pain feedback from his mind and the surprise made her hesitate.

The hesitation caused her to succumb to the brain fog once more, the feeling of being pinned making her nethers throb and drip a little once more, a very small trickle of her arousal falling down the soft inside of her thigh. With the connection via the collar, this wave of arousal would hit him just as his pain had hit her. "Let me go!" She ground out, the proximity of his body making the heady haze even worse. She could feel the heat his body gave off, and with cold blood herself she craved curling against it and drinking in the warmth. "Dirty rotten human filth!"

 

[Bismuth]

The crates rocked and nearly tipped when he shoved her back against them. Then the two of them fell to the ground. The pain her claws caused he had expected and he did his best to ignore it. However, he was unprepared for the rush of arousal he more than sensed. Just the feeling of it sent his own blood boiling. It was unexpected and slowed him down as he looked down at the struggling kobold, yet he didn't quite put all the pieces together, he knew it was from her. Choosing to ignore that flush of feelings, he assumed perhaps the little creature was in a heat. He had not even considered the collar would be as effective as this.

As she cursed at him he pushed her down on her back and pinned her to the cold ground. His hand shifted from her collar and gripped her throat instead. His other hand grabbed ahold of one of her wrists in case she considered clawing at him again and pushed it to the cobbled ground of the alley as well.

"I paid good money for you." He said, brow furrowed. "You're going to make this hard on yourself, aren't you?" As he spoke, he could sense her cool scales. She was not warm like he was. With how little he knew about kobolds, this had been a bit of a subtle surprise to him. He was still mildly irritated, but there was a sense of triumph coming from him now that he had control over her again.

 

[Benevolent4444]

Lox hissed as she was pushed to the ground, unable to form words once more as a larger rush of heat flooded the two of them when her wrists were pinned. She opened her mouth to hiss a second time, but instead yowled quietly and curled into herself. Her knees came up to her chest, and her dripping sex was exposed to him should he look down past her legs instead of anywhere else. She only struggled weakly then, her claws and hands squirming and gripping at the air, and her hips slowly swayed from one side to the other, her tail curling about his legs and brushing at them in an almost affectionate manner.

He was so warm, and she fought the urge to curl into him. She knew the haze was just part of her species mating process, males of her species not being the most gentle and still easily able to subdue the females in order to make, but she cursed that it was so easily accidentally activatable. Fighting through it, she keened gently but managed to croak out "Yield...I yield!" in an attempt to at least get him to let up physically. She could shake it off after dealing with the haze so many times, but after too many she would need to release some of that pressure, and she would prefer not to have to do that around him or alone in a cage as she had in the past.

 

[Bismuth]

The rush of feelings that hit Rowan again still took him by surprise. He suddenly felt heated and the caress of her tail had the man hesitating atop her. He caught himself glancing down to see the wet mess leaking from between the kobolds legs. He was quickly reminded of what the crude slave-trader had said, about having his way with the small reptile. The thought of such a thing, as intrusive as it was, made Rowan blush. It now admittedly did not seem like an unpleasant idea. The feelings and sight of this already had him growing unexpectedly stiff.

Rowan however, was entirely unaware that he was causing this, simply by pinning her down. Her submission was not enough to get him to trust her. Instead, Rowan snatched up her arms and began to haul her up onto her feet. He manhandled her and turned her around, to face away from him. He pulled her arms behind her back and with a strong hand gripped both of her wrists together. His other hand then clamped onto the back of her color. Pushing her forward, he forced her to start walking.

"Walk." He demanded. Forcing her out of the alley, he led her along the dock and towards his ship. Soon they were walking down a wooden pier, towards a modest vessel that looked as if it would take a small crew to run efficiently. The ship sat alone, no crew, as Rowan could not afford one.

 

[Benevolent4444]

As he let up on the pinning and instead hauled her up, still maintaining grip on her, he would instantly feel the intensity of the haze subside to a much lower broil beneath the surface of her anger and other emotions. She was grateful and he would have felt it, but the boiling need under the surface was seeming to stick around slightly longer than before and she already knew she was too far gone to not need to tend to herself at some point. She shuddered to think about how she might do it, having had so little privacy in the past.

She growled and followed as she essentially had no choice, her small clawed feet tapping gently along the ground. She took in the scents of the area, as she was in the habit of doing. Her sense of smell, even for a kabold, was remarkable. He would sense when she acknowledged something that stood out, like anyone carrying a particularly large amount of coin or having concealed weapons and things like that. As she walked, she was no longer constantly trying to nip him and wasn't fighting his grip any longer. She did not know what the collar did besides giving her small inklings of what he was feeling, but she would wager it somehow had to do with how he managed to find her. She was fast, and knew her earthy colored scales would help her generally blend in with the grubby background of the city. His finding her was not a coincidence, and she was frustrated that her scent had failed her due to the pure confusion of smells in the surrounding area.

 

[Bismuth]

Rowan moved quickly now, not wanting to risk any more problems with the unruly kobold. His own feelings mirrored hers at this point, simmering anger, however he was only slightly worked up. It was too bad as well, he knew he would not get to a bar tonight to find a lovely serving girl or a sultry patron to buy a drink. He did not trust leaving this kobold alone in his ship.

When they finally arrived at his vessel, still moored to the dock, Rowan scooped up the small creature, carrying her under his arm. She wasn't even offered the chance to comply this time as he began to climb up the rope ladder and onto the deck. Thankfully, it was only a few steps above them and she was placed down a moment later onto the wooden deck of his ship. He released her and held up the amulet. "Don't think you're getting away from me." Rowan said, "I think its time we figure out how this works."

Rowan first tried the most intricate looking symbol. இ When his finger made contact with it, he noticed nothing happening, at least at first. Yet, Lox would immediately notice a change. The collar slowly began to shrink around her neck. It began to tighten ever so slowly until it grew dangerously tight, on the verge of choking her.

 

[Benevolent4444]

Lox growled and gave a few halfhearted wiggles as she was hauled up, essentially giving up after a moment and simply trying to continue focusing through the neediness in her belly and head. When they boarded the ship, her stomach dropped a little as she was not a fan of them, considering what her previous experiences were like. She prayed this one did not have a dirty, overly small brigg that he might throw her into for her insolence. She also had no chance to escape once the vessel was free of the docks, whenever that came to be. Even though she suspected she would not get away for long due to the collar, she still intended to try when she could.

When he put her down and spoke to her, she only half listened. The ship smelled of him, all over. As she sniffed around, she felt the collar begin to tighten and tried to grab a hold of it as if she were being yanked back, but realized quickly that it was just the golden band shrinking to fit her neck like a second skin. It was very tight but only slightly uncomfortable, mostly just due to her being unused to wearing anything at all let alone a tight fitting metal piece.

She turned to him and snapped at him again, but didn't actually attack. "Remove it!" she ground out, feeling at it with her hands.

 

[Bismuth]

When Rowan's finger removed itself from the symbol, the collar immediately stopped shrinking. He looked at her a little confused but as she felt at it, he realized it was tight around her neck, more so than it had been before. For a moment, he looked a little worried as he eyed the amulet, then her again. He didn't know how to undo what he had just done. His finger hovered over the same symbol again, fearing that it might kill her if he continued to tighten it. Admittedly, he took a risk and tapped the same symbol on the collar. This time, it loosened but only for as long as his finger was touching the symbol.

"Interesting." Rowan said, "Nope, you're going to wear this collar as long as I have you."
He gave her a triumphant smile then glanced down at the amulet once again. "If the star let's me find you, and the... squiggle tightens your collar. What do the other two do... Let's try this one." He said, tapping the icon that appeared to be two rings over-lapping. He pressed it.

⚭​

Suddenly, the sensation of her feelings vanished. On her end, his mind unbound from her and she would be unable to sense anything he was feeling. Finally, the feeling of the kobold's heat, or what he assumed was her heat was gone now. He felt a little more like himself. "Okay okay..." he mused to himself, tapping the symbol again. For now, he preferred it active so that he could sense if she was bout to try something.
He held up the amulet and waggled it. "One more. I wonder what it does."