Valkyrie was very tempted to keep this next one. She had a soft spot for pretty wolves and this one was drop dead gorgeous. Valkyrie had been lucky to get her paws on her; no doubt others would find her beauty appealing too.

She pulled the yearling forward and directed her towards The Spot. ”Stand here, girl.” The girl had been treated well since her capture. Well, better than the rest, anyway. What could she say, she had a soft spot for pretty things and this little gem was nothing if not pretty.

As she waited for potential buyers to come forward Inga rushed up and whispered something in her ear, but after frowning Valkyrie said nothing and turned her attention back to the task at hand.

”Talk”

She had not put up much of a fight, she had never been much of a fighter anyway. She had been pounced upon shortly after being swept away to sea from her brother. She don't remember where she had ended up, was weak and worn out when Valkyrie had found her. She probabily wouldn't have even fought the women if she was in complete good health. She couldn't say her captivity had been horrible, she was treated okay in her opinion, but she didn't dare fight against her captors.

She willingly fallowed the chocolate women, and when directed to the spot she obeyed. This had been the first time she had really been 'out' since Valkyrie had found her. Her hunter's nose was going crazy with the scents and her ears twitching to all the noises. She did not know what would happen today, but she tried to remain positive. She needed to find Cloud, knowing he had to be a wreck in trying to find her.

She tested the air, looking for any hopeful sign that maybe one of her brothers were here, or someone she knew.

"Speech"

she was going to free as many as possible. Winterfell did not tolerate slavery, and neither did the alabaster woman. hovering on the outskirts of the 'market' - bullshit, this was a slave auction - Heloise would wait for the fever pitches to die down. the ones she had approached so far were drumming up too much business; it made her sick. luckily for her, she spotted the woman and girl quite alone. the girl was not one she knew, but seeing one so young put up for stock... she marched over, dragging her bundle of items she had since come with to free all she could with. "how much is the girl worth to you?" Heloise immediately asked the brunette woman, launching right into it. skills and worth were not important really. she had come here with a goal and freeing this girl would be one of them. "I will buy her from you, if possible." she dared not send a sympathetic look to the girl in question, for fear of being found out her ambition. or even being talked into selling more than she had out of sympathy for the captured one. she had, above all, a cougar pelt she had skinned from the body of a trespassing feline. it was rolled up in her bundle, among the parts of the cougar she had saved.

Having not received the reaction she was hoping for, Inga frowned, her dark eyes darting between Valkyrie and the way she'd come. After a beat she settled down at Valkyrie's side and fixed her dark gaze on the ground.

The white woman got straight down to business, which Valkyrie appreciated. Small talk was a waste of time on a day like this. She had deals to make and profits to collect.

She quirked a brow at Heloise and then countered quickly, "And I will sell her to you if possible, but a better question is, what is she worth to you?" Valkyrie was going to make the woman set the bar for negotiations. Only she knew what she had to offer.

”Talk”

she would have to be very careful though it would seen the slaver appreciated a straightforward answer. Heloise would 'get down to business' right away. she wasted no time in buying the freedom of the girl. "my highest bid would be the intact cougar pelt I have brought with me" she would roll out her bundle, showing the miscellanous items she had crafted. amongst them was a wooden spear with a pointed stone end, a few necklaces, preserved feline meat (and some organs) and bones. of course, the pelt was rolled up and skinned quite expertly. "or a combination of the other items here." winter was indeed coming, and a large pelt would line the den of the slaver nicely. or even be made into a fashionable cape, leather and the like. Heloise had never offered items on a living being before. "though before we strike a deal; I would like to know the item's usefulness" her gaze, at last, turned to the girl. her expression cold and unyielding, sharing no sympathy. "what are the skillsets? what can it do for me? then I may know the worth of her." she was inviting the barbarian to make the girl speak of her 'usefulness', or the barbarian herself to sell her sales pitch.

The woman had an interesting negotiation tactic. She told the marauder what her max bid was, but what if, knowing what Heloise had, Valkyrie decided it wasn't enough? After all, she'd gotten her paws on those items once already. Surely she could do it again. Valkyrie nonchalantly looked over what the woman had brought with her and began to scheme.

"Usefulness? My dear, this girl is a beauty. For that reason alone I'm tempted to keep her." Valkyrie sniffed and stretched out a paw so she could inspect her claws. After a beat she returned the paw to the ground and returned her gaze to Heloise. "But if you insist on squandering her good looks, she is young, able-bodied and intelligent - she can be trained for anything." Valkyrie waved a paw over Heloise's items before saying candidly, "In fact I think for such a fine specimen...you're short."
”Talk”

she was not amused by the woman's loftiness regarding a bargained life. Heloise kept her stone-face on, eyes drifting over the girl's body before looking back to Valkyrie. "I suppose she has some qualities" the woman would not say a mere child was beautiful though "but looks fade in the real world" and usefulness then runs out. it was sick to think the Viking woman would keep a child around for the sake of her beauty. "a pretty bone breaks just as easily as an ugly duckling's." a pause then; "so I ask you this again; what is she worth to you?" it was quite clear Heloise had come to bargain, to haggle, yet she would know the price of this girl before insulting Valkyrie with a weak offer. though at this point, Heloise could spit in her face and not give a shit whether she insulted her or not. on a slaver's mind, the girl was utterly useless for hard labor. the only thing potentially she'd be good at was her wits. "if she needs to be trained and taught to sit nice, she has no value. at least, the value you have given her already." but she wasn't going to walk away. "I will give you the cougar pelt, but I will also give the corpse of a polar bear. untouched, ready for your people to do what they want with it. and any of the items you see fit to keep here" she had no way of knowing the bear would soon come to her though. "unless you think a yearling is worth more than that, pretty or not." she did not expect the brunette to see sense, yet Heloise was risking her life delivering on her promise. surely it was enough to buy the freedom of the girl. because if she did not come back, the girl would be open for bids again. she pressed the cougar pelt forward "consider that down payment. keep it, should I not return."

 

Valkyrie quirked a brow at the woman. Heloise was putting up a good fight. Valkyrie liked a challenge. She was also going to come out ahead on this sale now or not deal at all. That much she'd decided.

She had asked the woman to name the starting price because only she knew what she was capable of getting her paws on, but the woman seemed not to understand how to deal. "I suppose I wasn't clear enough the first time I asked you to make an offer so I will make things simple for you to make up for your lack of acumen: I will take everything you have here. Plus the bear." Period, end of story.

She would be getting more than what the girl was worth, but Valkyrie liked the little yearling and she was loath to part with her. That, and Heloise was being a bit dense and Valkyrie thought she should have to pay for that. "If you find that acceptable she will stay here with me until all of the items are in my possession."

""

"heh" at last, she was getting somewhere. Heloise's otherwise neutral tone split into a slight smirk. the Viking was greedy enough, yet she had danced about with her words until the alabaster woman had been forced to play dumb. "that is what I thought; yet I wanted to hear it from you" she told Valkyrie bluntly but not rudely. in another life, should things be different, they could have been shield-sisters. that was the correct term for her people, was it not? but there was too much a difference between the pair. one was a knight. the other a slaver. "I accept your terms." pushing the bundled up items toward the brunette, she would rise. she may not have been able to save the little wolf Fracture and she had attempted to, but Heloise was content with her lot with this girl. the items meant nothing to her; Valkyrie could have them all. "expect me back, with your bear in tow, in a few days. if not, as I said; keep the items and the fur. put her back for auction and earn even more." the woman said, turning away. she would not welch on her deal - fate would deliver her the bear - but she had to play the role of a cold slaver for the sake of the girl's sanity. with a nod to Valkyrie, she would be off to collect the beast's body. / EXIT ooc; since a bear was slew in Winterfell already (irony), we can fast forward a few days in another thread where Heloise delivers?

 

Heloise's words earned a nod from Valkyrie. She was sad to see the lovely girl go but pleased to have made a good deal. She'd even gotten a bear out of it. That alone was probably worth more than the girl considering the amount of time and blood that would no doubt go into tracking down the beast, but in killing it as well.

"Have no fear," she said dryly. "If you do not return she will not be on the market for long." Because Valkyrie would be keeping her. It might be nice to have someone tending to her den and whatnot. And if it wasn't, well, there was always the market.

""