Valkyrie was quite pleased with her next captive. In addition to being a rather tall, muscular fellow, the foul-mouthed male was also a mutant. His tusks were sure to draw attention to him and Valkyrie was anticipating a hefty payload. There had better be one, anyway, since he'd been trouble to catch.

"You will stand here," she commanded after Inga prodded the captive into position. "Glower all you like, act a fool if it suits you, but you will stand here while doing it." There was no need to add an 'or else' to the end. By now he knew what he was dealing with. Even if he didn't like it, she didn't think him a foolish enough man to test her.

""

Ashmedai was quite excited with the dealings and ongoings of the bids. He knew he had to find himself a good one and he was sure good ole Valk could provide. He strode through looking at all the potentials and noting which ones he might like to swing by later.

Until he saw Kai. The tusled man had caught his eyes a while back in the orchard and now he sat there like a rope fruit himself, ready for the harvest. A crooked smile rose on Ashmedai's face as he approached.

"And this one? I already like him." Ash said to himself more than anyone else that might be nearby. "How much?"

He wandered to the slave pens at last, wondering what unfortunate souls were being sold. He loathed the idea of slaves and this sort of thing, so if there was anything he could do...it was to at least try and get them out. Though he doubted he'd be able to save them all, one or two were better than nothing. The alabaster Male paused as Valkyrie brought out another one, crimson gaze narrowing on the "product" before they widened with surprise. That...how the fuck!? How had he gotten captured? God dammit... He almost thought about walking away, but the better part of him kept him rooted. Tyranis would never forgive him if he let his...whatever this guy was slip into the paws of someone else. And while he didn't agree with Kai's trespassing and blatantly disrespecting his packs boundaries, he wouldn't just leave him here for the crows seeking slaves for potentially bad things. He heard someone else already inquiring about him, and Ace shoved his way to the front with a hard stare as he turned his attention to Valkyrie. "I'm interested as well. Whatever you want, I can offer. Name your price." He said sternly, gaze finding Kai as he waited for an answer. "Speech"

The familiar voice was what caught his attention first, that and the flashy shirt the buyer wore. He paused to look at what he intended to purchase, and then froze. ”Kai?” He breathed, in a mixture of horror, disbelief and fury.” He stepped closer, his legs moving against his will as he saw the state his lover was in.; bound, beaten, and with the hateful glare that spoke of perpetual torment. He shook his head and looked again, horrified to see that it hadn’t been some wild imagining, Kai was there being sold like an object. “No.” He snarled. “I offer my armor.” He piped immediately, his hackles raising. “Made of a bear’s skin and a boar’s skull.” speaking Thinking

Ooc: edited to fit the rules -dabs-

Ashmedai's smile grew as the other two joined. Ash had rather liked Acere and hoped that this wouldn't affect any standing they had with each other. When Tyranis went all in at the first go, Ashmedai snorted. "I'm gonna guess this is your first trade. Pro tip, leave your trump card for a few bets in."

This had to be a first for Boreas, right? At least Ash and Valk knew the trade a little better. Ash looked towards the trader, thinking for a moment. She already had a bear skull meaning either she REALLY liked bears, or completely didn't need another skull item. "Why wear someone else's old armor when you can craft your own. I'm sure you have or know a crafter, and I've got a pile of furs and a few bones that could be put to use, but maybe we hold off on the betting until the auction starts, yeah?"

To say Kai was pissed about being held in captivity would be a vast understatement. At first he'd thought he could escape using sheer brute force, but he had been clearly mistaken. The contraption Valkyrie had rigged up to keep him wasn't something he knew how to escape from, and there was absolutely no way he could sneak away unnoticed even if he managed to loosen his bonds. He spat a snarl at Valkyrie as he was prodded awake, and into position. Sleeping had been, by far, the easiest way to deal with all of this... when he was awake he only felt angry, which made as though he'd aged years in an alarmingly short time. Despite how much he'd been sleeping, he was utterly exhausted, and it took a long moment for him to blink the sleep from his eyes as he was jostled awake and moved to stand where he'd been told. Perhaps if he drooled and pretended he was hardly aware of what was going on, any potential buyers might view him as useless and Valkyrie might let him go entirely. The thought was one he humored, even if he doubted it would work. It took an even longer time for him to recognize anyone as they drew close - first came Ashmedai, a man he'd met once, though recognition was slow to creep into his gaze. He had a feeling that making it obvious he knew a buyer would ruin all of this for him, and though stubborn.. he wasn't foolish enough to try it. He clenched his jaw as he stood, watching as two more familiar faces arrived. Acere earned a confused look - and to Ty he somehow managed to offer no expression at all. Weakness would only hurt them both, wouldn't it? But already he was saying his name, and Kai winced. His gaze was wary as he watched silently, feeling a pang of hurt in his heart at the visible anger in Ty's voice. But despite the hurt, it was hard to feel much over the harsh ebb of anger that pounded in his veins - each moment that passed filled him with a sense of purpose and a need for revenge that he'd never quite experienced before.

 

Valkyrie watched the trio of males approach with the air of indifference. She cared little for who bought who; all that mattered was that she profited. The first seemed at ease with the slave market, but the other two...not so much. Valkyrie of course recognized all three. The first was King, the pirate. The other two she'd seen at that amusing challenge. She was impressed with none of them, but her opinion of them mattered not in the face of profit.

"This is an auction," she said firmly to all three. "There is no set price. If you want this man you have to outbid your opponents with an item or a collection of them worth more than the last thing offered. Last one to offer something gets him." Her gaze roved between Tyranis and Ashmedai as she considered their goods.

After a beat she took a deep breath and said, "The last thing offered was by this man," she nodded at Ashmedai before glancing between Tyranis and Acere. "Can either of you do better?"



OOC: The timed auction starts now! Rules are simple. There is no post order, bids can be anything that is conceivably worth more than the last (and you can just add on to items already offered if you want), auction automatically closes three days from the last post, anyone can pop in or drop out at any time. Items do NOT have to present! There will be a three day IC grace period for buyers to gather items and present them to Valkyrie (no real thread necessary unless you want one).

""

Tyranis had arrived, and Acere watched him from the corner of his eye as he watched the emotions roll across his nephew. He had no doubts Tyranis was angry that his...friend...was being auctioned off as if he were nothing more than an object. While Acere hated that thought, that there were people like this out there that did that to their own kind, he would play their game for now in an effort to do what he could for the unfortunate souls. He quietly leaned towards Tyranis, aiming to press his shoulder against him. He kept his eyes forward, but would quietly utter words of warning just for his nephews ears. "Be calm, nephew. Your friend will be freed soon enough." Despite the tusked Male having trespassed on his lands before, being sold and ill treated like this wasn't what the man deserved. Ashmedai spoke, and Acere flicked an ear in his direction as he made note of what his offer was after Tyranis. His nephew had been hasty, and rightfully so. As Valkyrie stated that Ash's offer was the one standing, he thought about what he had brought with him. He had a collection of exotic pelts and other hard to find things from the North lands. The ship was full of useful items, and the northernmost parts of the lands held both flora and fauna not found anywhere else. "I offer exotic pelts - white tiger complete with teeth and claws, and arctic fox pelts." He glanced at Ashmedai for a heartbeat or two before continuing, "And I will offer to craft whatever you wish from them." He had made his own armor and weapons that he wore now. Surely she would see how well crafted his own pieces were. He did not take shortcuts when it came to his craftsmanship. "Speech"

Ashmedai's thoughts worked over in his head as Acere offered a bet after him. Well then this was a stalemate, if they both had pelts, then what was the use? Acere could craft, but when had the vikings ever not been able to craft for themselves? Still, having a good alpha at their call would be nice too. Ash let his smile curl and shift as he thought. what else could he do.

Ah, the season long bender.

"Okay, so we both got pelts- great. But I can offer you ten buckets of The Orchard's finest mixed wines. I spend a whole season figuring out which crafts went well with what, and with the winter citrus coming in now, you could have dibs on the last selection of the Fall's finest brews as well as the first rotation of Winter's citrus line." He knew they must have someone making the alcohol for the parties, but that would mean they were out a good deal. Being almost between seasons was a blessing in variety and having someone... experienced was another added benefit. "Five of each, perhaps? Feel free to put them in whatever bottles or holdings you prefer, or just take the buckets if that suits you."

Granted, this would cut back into his own stores, but with Legion so close and with him raising kids, it wasn't like the demand for alcohol exceeded his production rate anyway, he had just thought about saving some for the bitter winter.

Chaos had been wandering the market for some time, wolf-watching rather than purchasing. Seeing what other wolves, including his rival alphas, chose to purchase was an informative, and more importantly amusing way to enjoy the market, and the festival atmosphere delighted him.

Then he found himself over at the slave auction.

Despite his participation in wiping out a gang of slavers much like this one, Chaos was far from against the idea. It would be nice to have two or three to do the more mind-numbing chores around the pack to free his wolves up for more important and more fun duties.

His eyes widened inboluntarily at the sight of the proud, tusked wolf who was being auctioned, though, then narrowed again as his gaze swept the current bidders. He didnt recognize the older albino male and although he cast an appreciative eye over the good-looking slaver his attention focused sharply on three forms. Kai, of course, Tyranis the former alpha who now stank of the same pack as the albino, and... Ashmedai.

Now, Chaos loved his brother as much as he did the rest of his siblings, but he didnt really know him. He hadn't been close with Ashmedai growing up, not like he had been with Rhys and Rhyme or his full siblings, and the long years that Ash had been gone left him a stranger. An unpredictable one. It didn't sit right with Chaos to see a friend go to Ash as a slave with an uncertain future. The albino was as much a stranger and more. Who knew how he might mistreat Kai?

But it was the site of Ty that narrowed his eyes with a particular maliviousness. If Ash or the albino won the auction, he might be able to persuade them later to let him pay back what they had spent, maybe throw in a cute young slave - he could pick one up anywhere, they weren't so rare as people thought - to give him Kai's servitude. Ash might be a little ticked if Chaos bought a slave from him to immediately free, but he would get over it. But Tyranis... oh no. No, Chaos would not reach an agreement with that one. He had had his chance at words and Chaos had given him the one deal he was ever willing to reach with that mouthy bastard. No friend of Chaos would ever be his slave if Chaos had to spend all his assets to prevent it.

Game face on, he sauntered up to the group with a cocky flair and threw Kai a half-grin. "Now there's a handsome face. We even match," he observed in a lazy drawl, showing his almost-matching saberteeth to compare to Kai's tusks, which had grown in nicely. "I wouldn't normally bid against my own brother but winter is coming, you know, and I could use a handsome body to keep my den warm." His tone was light and teasing, and he dropped Kai a wink. He would hope that the tusked male would recognize it as just that, teasing, but he wasn't sure how much weight one encounter would carry for him, regardless of how much fun it had been. Oh well.

He slung himself down lazily near the other bidders. "On that note, winter is coming, and as much fun as I'm sure it would be to drink through the whole thing surely an enterprising wolf such as yourself has bigger plans for the season. Oh, crafting, training, fucking... raiding," he added the last with a sly turn to his grin. "If you spend your winter drinking and hunting where would you find the time? What you need are to have your winter chores out of the way, so I'm going to offer you four young bull elk, processed, preserved, and delivered to any cache you want along with their tanned hides and antlers. I will even throw in the bones if you have a use for them. These are domestic beasts, mind you, so they are fatter and more tender than anything you could find roaming free. Get a good chunk of your winter storage taken care of at once without even transport effort." Surely he was entitled to the use of Tornach Adravendi's farm, since he was so kind as to not kick the guy out. He figured it gave him a bit of an edge in bidding, since he could offer a lot more bang for his buck so to speak, but he was willing to put in more effort when he needed to.

Of course Chaos had to show up right when Ash had started to have fun. He was fairly sure, out of all of his siblings, Chaos was the one who felt the most high and mighty. Maybe outbidding him would knock him off his high horse, but of course not before Chaos went on a full ramble mode about some fat ass deer he'd apparently been saving or something. Ash threw in mock hurt, "But brother, don't we need to save meat for our own winter?"

If it was a competition Chaos wanted, he could get one. this wasn't even about Kai anymore, it seemed like he had more orbiters wanting him to be free than anything else. No, Ash just wanted to outbid Chaos at this point. Hell, he'd even be pleased if one of the other two got out of it. Then again, if Chaos won Kai, maybe Kai would stick around Legion and then Ash could for sure sneak in some fun times. Darn, now he was torn.

"Who wants some already dead, fatty deer? Tender? What are we, pups fresh off the teat?" Ash thought about it, and he had one thing he might be willing to part with, but he had hoped to offer it for some pretty girl instead. Ah well.

"Well, I have this nice owl friend," Ash said. "Well, not friend really, but its alive and seems intelligent enough to serve you for many years to come. Think of all the advantages with a flying predator. It could hunt for you, see for you and your band. You'd always know where your next meal is, and where your opponents lie." Ashmedai tried to will Valk to his side. If he couldn't, he might just have to try to help Chaos make a better offer.

He could tell already that this wasn't going to be easy. Kai was unique, and quite obviously, well liked among...well...men, it seemed. Ace simply didn't understand the attraction towards the same gender, though it seemed his nephew wasn't the only one who fancied the tusked man. Wrinkling his muzzle in disgust as the other two...what? Tried to one up each other for the company of the enslaved man, he turned his head away as he listened to their bids. The pair smelled nearly similar, and if he had to guess, he figured they were brothers. Ashmedai he had fought before. The other one, however, he had seen once or twice at the battlefield when some high stakes challenges came out. They drove a hard bargain, but Ace wasn't about to tap out. If the two were brothers, that meant they'd likely pool their resources...but Ace could very well do the same with Tyranis. "My previous offer still stands, though I'd like to throw in a few seals. However many you need. Their skins are waterproof and may serve well come winter, and their fat can be used as fuel for fire, something else you may like to keep at your side should the winter season be a harsh one. The meat you can get from them would do your people well. Rich in flavor and enough to keep you through most of winter." He wouldn't mind hunting however many she wanted. The Northern coast was abundant with them, and there was a huge herd that congregated close to the waters just beyond the Antiox. But if that wasn't enough..."If that doesn't satisfy you, I also offer Walrus. Same deal as the seals, however, the tusks may be quite useful in crafting into weapons or tools." The cogs turned in his mind then as he considered what he offered. Would that be enough? He wasn't sure how much Valkyrie would consider the bull elk. Yes, food would be important for winter stocks but so would things that would keep a nomadic band warm in the winter. He didn't know if they had pups or members who wouldn't be able to handle the elements well, but...he did have another offer in mind...he would save it, however, in case he needed to bid again. "Speech"

Bla bla bla, more meat, whatever. Ashmedai yawned. If everyone was offering food here, then what about the other auctions? "Has everyone offered food so far? Yall are gonna be fat before winter even starts at this rate. I get it- free food, you wont have to hunt, what's to lose? Well, the fun of a hunt, first off. Second off, if you get so much meat from every auction, you'll have to guard it all somehow. Which I guess takes up the place of hunting, but you're a band. You gonna lug it all with you all winter? Or are you settling down and making a pack?"

Ashmedai cast glances to each of his opponents. He meant no harm, trying to make their offers sound less appealing was part of the game, wasn't it? "I still offer the live owl. Like... not for eating. It's a whole trainable owl that you can do whatever with. I mean you can eat it, but uh... that would be a waste. What else... Oh, you know what? I know its favorite mice too. I'll throw in a pile of those for easy training and you can still get the buckets of alcohol."

Good, a three-combo offer! He could totally do this all day. Alcohol was harder to come by than meat any day.

Chaos squinted doubtfully at Ashmedai's offer of an owl - better not have been any of Heecha and Sgili's offspring - then eyed the albino who made an offer next. Seals? And walrus? What the fuck was a walrus? Before he could respond, Ash was piping up again, only adding... mice? to his previous offer. Chaos tsked out loud. "Seals? Walrus? Sounds like someone's making promises they can't keep. Are you going to go swimming, then, to catch some seals? Or are you hoping to find some carrion and passing it off?" He made an exaggerated gagging noise. He disregarded Ash's other offer as being just a joke, because surely he couldn't be seriously offering a pile of mice. He straightened his shoulders instead with the air of one settling in for some serious work, then flashed Valk a charming smile. "I'll do you better. The elk and everything, and additionally a chest oh say... the height and length of a fox... full of treasure." He grinned, then elaborated. "Gold coins, faceted gemstones, pearls. Filled to the brim of the chest, no less than that." He ran a quick inventory in his head of the human treasures in his den in the barrow, and gave a nod to himself. Yeah, plenty to choose from.

Ash clicked his tongue at his brother, but put on a playful smile, "Oh, seriously, what are they gonna do with some rusty old coins? They can't even eat that and if it's as big and as full as you say, it's gonna be a motherfucker to tote around."

Ashmedai turned to putting some thought behind his bids. He gave a hard hum in Chaos' direction, "Why don't you offer her something only an alpha can offer? Don't you have anything good in that pack of yours?" If he did, Ash certainly hadn't found it yet, and he knew the packlands just as well as anyone who grew up there. Of course, it was possible Chaos hid goodies elsewhere.

"Okay, offer before stands, but I'll do some mercenary work for you in the future. Maybe two jobs?"

"Come on, lil bro, why don't we join forces and smash the competition? We can share, can't we?" Ashmedai shot a wink in Chaos' direction. It didn't help to have him bidding against him. If he couldn't ask nicely, he might have to ask less nicely or else the bidding could go in circles forever.

She saw Ace at the bidding, and she saw the worry in his face, she saw Tyranis too, a face she hadn’t seen in some time. She knew she owed him one for bungling up the claiming at that challenge that time… she glanced at the ‘wares’ feeling her anger and seeing a prisoner. Ace and Ty wanted this man? Very well then. She ignored the fact that the pack she was biding against was Rhyme’s estranged family, and moved herself beside Ace.

“Unique healing salves from a hermit who spent his entire life crafting them, the likes of which are rare to be seen in Boreas, as well as a collection of feathers caught from rare and exotic birds of all colors, which could be using in trading or crafting. I join my bid to theres” she said, nodding to Ace and Tyranis. She hoped the fact that the two brothers where bidding against eachother, and her and Ace and his pack where now bidding on the same side, would aid them.

He narrowed his eyes at Ashmedai's snarky rejoinders and gave a short, sharp shake of his head, then quirked one brow as Shaye Destruction decided to butt in. "Sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong again, Shaye? Funny, I thought Abaven was opposed to slavery. Odd how you're willing to bend those stiff-necked morals of yours when it's convenient, isn't it?" He grinned sardonically at the black-and-white alpha, then turned back to Valk again. "Both my earlier offers, and I'll up the ante with your choice of three weapons from the same cache as the gold will come from. There's a wide variety of human-worked iron weapons, things like swords and knives mostly but there are others that may interest you as well." He casually made a note to himself that apparently Abaven had been making it a point to collect unique things that would be just... fantastic to raid for. His younger brother Alarr seemed interested in being a healer, maybe he'd want some of those salves to study.

He wasn't quite sure what the hell the other two were doing. Trying to outdo each other maybe? He narrowed his eyed at Chaos' insult, lip lifting in a silent growl. "Perhaps if you knew anything about the North you'd know how to catch a seal, but it seems the life of a soft southerner prevents you from that." He snorted. It seemed the fanged Male was an alpha, and Ace had no qualms if Chaos had a problem with what he said. After all, the alpha seemed to try and insult his packs ability to procure what he was promising and he was wrong on all fronts. As the pair went back and forth, Ace turned his attention away and quietly listened to their bids. Yep. Sounded like they were trying to outdo each other and for what? To share Kai in some way? No. He had to free Kai for reasons of his own and...for Ty, of course. As they bickered to one another, Ace heard Shaye's voice and he turned to her in surprise as she threw in her own bid. He hadn't expected to see her here, but he was glad she was. Perhaps now they might have a chance. "My previous offers still stand, and hers if you choose it. And...Winterfell will raid for you for a season. Your choice of targets." It was a hefty offer. His pack probably wouldn't like it, but he wouldn't force anyone in his pack to raid if they didn't want to. But considering their numbers and the amount of experienced fighters they had, he had absolutely no doubt that that promise would remain fulfilled. He glanced to Shaye with apology in his eyes. Abaven could very well be one of those targets if Valkyrie accepted. He hoped there wouldn't be any hard feelings if it came to that. "Thank you for helping me try to free him." "Speech"

"Helping you free him? Oh yes," Chaos said sardonically with a hard smile at the words his pale opponent spoke to Shaye, "I'm sure that's what you'd tell her, isn't it? But we all know what you're really like, don't we?" He said the words with a wicked sort of relish, realizing now who the white male was now that he saw him with Shaye. "Like we didn't all see you try to force claim a woman and her pups and have Shaye there rip you a new one for it. Well how does it feel knowing that all your work here is going to ensure that our friend here can take even more slaves?" He tsked playfully at Shaye and her buddy. "So how many new slaves is this man worth to you then? I know what I'm supporting, maybe you should stop lying to yourself and do the same."

With a laugh he turned to face Valk head-on again. "The four elk, et cetera, the gold and jewels, et cetera, the weapons, and I'll add in four pieces of armor of your choice from my cache, refitted for a wolf."

Ashmedai listened as Chaos sassed everyone at the bidding. Way to make it personal. Acere sassed back and Ash shot a glance at Chaos, his mind chanting: fight, fight, fight. It would be good for Chaos to get in there and fight some other wolves. Flex some power and all. When Acere offered a raid, Ash's maw made a dramatic little "o" shape as he eyed Chaos again. "You just gonna take that?" he whispered to his brother, egging him on a bit.

Acere thanked Shaye for trying to help free Kai and it kind of sunk in. That's why Ty was looking so desperate? The two must have been friends. Ash snorted to himself. "Well, I don't think I can compete with a raid, and I don't really think some lousy armor does either," he said, finding some reason to drop out of the bid. He'd rather Kai be free anyway, but he didn't want them to know that. "Ah well, I withdraw my bids. Good luck Chaos!"

Ashmedai stretched lazily and took a step back. He still wanted to watch, but he was out of the bidding for now.