Sold Again

"One where I can switch destines with someone else. Meaning I might be the one getting the beating but it's the other person who gets the effects. Which also means if they try to put me down your the one who's going to die." Lotus says backing away. She wasn't bluffing about that either but that was only if she could keep the ability up. "Now that it's in place you'll get whatever happens to me until I release it." she says hoping to scare him. She knew her tendancy to pass out after using her ability for so long but he didn't know that

"That's absurd! How am I going to..." Saver bit his lip and eyed Pandora with hard, calculating eyes. "Switching destinies, you say? That must mean it works both ways." continuing to watch her carefully, he pricks his own finger with the tip of his scythe.

"My magic my rules." Lotus says holding up her hand showing nothing had happened to it. "I'm going to walk out of here now and you better not follow me." Lotus says edging towards the door. She was hoping she could keep it up long enough to hide somewhere. After this she really didn't want to pass out in front of them.

Saver waves his hand at her. "That's right, get lost. You're definitely not worth the bother. Tomorrow I'll be finding Mr. Squat and hanging him on his own intestines. That after demanding double my money back for moral and physical reparations." He lightly blows on his hands that still stung after being burned with Will o' Wisp. He gestures to one of his Bisharp companions. "File a notice to the Torakan guard that there's a dangerous escaped slave on the loose, and that she be apprehended, but not harmed. Until I find some way to disable your ability, then you'll be VERY harmed." He threw the last words at Pandora.

"You forget this is the human country, the guards won't listen to you gijinka." Lotus says stopping her ability though they wouldn't know that. She didn't have much energy left and she needed that to get out. She takes off out the door running down the hall as fast as she could. She barrels through people in the main room of the inn butt most were too drunk already to pay her much attention so she got out the door without much trouble. Outside she had to lean againest the wall and catch her breath

After she left, Saver facepalms. "Bah, crap. I mixed up the countries again. But no matter, the world is a tiny place and we'll meet again given time. Meanwhile, good riddance." One of the Bisharps spoke up in a worried tone: "You're in a dangerous situation, boss. If something happens to her while the ability is still effective, you're going to be in trouble." Saver rubbed his chin. "That's true. I want one of you to tail her and make sure she doesn't get herself killed while I find some way to dispel her ability. Or maybe it'll expire on its own, because it would take a legendary-level power to keep up an ability like that forever. In any case watch her closely, but don't get discovered." The Bisharp nods and exists the room. Saver turns to his other accomplice. "Let's go to the market. We need to buy some magic wards to protect us from things like this." They left the inn, paying no heed to anyone they passed, and headed down the road towards the city nearby.

Lotus had managed to get a fair distance away before she collasped from exhastion. 'I really need to stop pushing it for so long' she thinks managing to drag herself to the base of a tree. 'Hopefully I scared them enough they won't come after me. I hope.' was her last thoughts before she passes out

The Bisharp who watched her from she shadows scratched the back of his head. "Well, this is strange... she didn't sustain any damage as far as I know. I can't just leave her there, she might catch a cold and transfer it to boss." He walked up to her, slung her unconscious body over his shoulder and decided to return to the inn, for a lack of a better option. He snickered. "Heh... I think they're going to meet again faster than they wanted to.", he thought, imagining Saver's reaction." He returned to the inn, put her on a bed in their room and went to the bar downstairs for a drink.

Meanwhile, Saver and the other Bisharp were done buying wards and were on their way back to the inn. "Sheesh, this is expensive stuff... but I bought it from a powerful wizard, so it's going to work. I refuse to be a punchball for slaves with crazy abilities." He walks into the inn, the Bisharp who was with Pandora greets him with a sly smile while drinking his beer at a table. "Welcome back boss." Saver waves his hand in return greeting and heads to the second floor. He opens the door to his room... then he closes it. Then opens it again. The girl on the bed didn't go away. "By Jove." He quickly puts the ward ring on his finger and gestures his companion to do the same. "Let's wait until she wakes up, I guess. Though this time our talk will be different."

It was morning before Lotus started coming around. Rather confused about were she was at first. Last she remembered she had been againest a tree and now somehow she was in a bed. Something warm was beside her, still being half out of it she didn't think anything of it. She curls up againest it (Aka Saver) falling back asleep rather quickly.

Saver watches how she curls up against him in her sleep. "Awww... so cute." He strokes her hair, then rubs his chin and thinks. A few hours pass.

"She doesn't understand diplomacy. Then I'll use a deceptive maneuver instead. No matter how much they like freedom, a slave is still a slave at heart." He gestures to his minions to come close and look as intimidating as possible. He pokes her in the side, like last time. "Wakey wakey princess, and welcome back. You can't escape from me no matter where you go, but since you love freedom so much, I think you deserve it. I can't imagine anyone wanting someone like you for a slave, anyway. But you do have a really nice face and leggies, so I'm going to employ you as a servant instead, with wages, human rights and everything. I just want something nice to look at, you know? No hard feelings." He shrugs nonchalantly and awaits her response.

Lotus was still mostly asleep when she felt someone poking her. She didn't want to wake up yet but she knew she had to for a reason she couldn't quite remember yet. She yawns starting to come around though stillmostly asleep. The warm thing wasstill beside her, it was comfortable so she snuggles againest it . It then dawned in her waking mind that there shouldn't be anything like that next to her. She shouldn't be warm or comfortable at all, she had passed out in the woods againest a tree after all. She opens her eyes to find she was stareing at a guy's shirt which she reflexivly jerks away from him and nearly falls off the bed from it but he catchs her before she could.

"Hoh, you're not a morning person, I see." He hauls her back to bed, but then lets go and puts a diplomatical distance between himself a her. One of the Bisharps hands her a glass of water. "I'd offer beer, but it's a poor choise in the morning." He laughs.

Lotus blinks confused about what was going on. Weren't these the guys she was threatening just last night? Why were they being so nice, unless she really did scare them but that wouldn't explain why they would want her around, it wouldv'e been the opposite. She had still been more asleep then awake when Saver had been talking to her so she hadn't heard a word he had said

After thinking that she looks really dumb right now, he made a casual smile. "I'm in a good mood today, so I'l make an effort and repeat myself." He repeated his proposal word for word, maintaining a friendly but serious tone. The Bisharps sat on chairs close to the bed, but didn't behave very threateningly.

Lotus heard the offer this time. She didn't jump at it though, she sat and thought it over. It would basicly be what would do as a slave but she'd have money and be able to leave. He was offering freedom and a job on top of that, even if it was just because he liked how she looked. "Alright" she said after a few minutes. She was putting his behavior last night on him being drunk, after all had he intended for her to actually be a slave why would he let her out of her cage and put her in a bed?

Saver flashed her a bright smile. "Good. Your duties will be cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping and laundry. I will provide you with food, shelter and an uniform. Your monthly wage is 600 coins, which is 100 more than I paid my previous maid, so don't you dare complaining." He made a pause to allow the information to sink in. Then he calmly got off the bed and straightened his clothes. "Order a carriage. We're returning to Corano." he gestured one of the Bisharps, then turned to the other one and Lotus. "Let's head down to the bar and drink some beer together, like equals. There's apple juice too, if you're feeling lame." And he headed to the door.

"Unlike some apparently, I prefer not to get drunk in the morning." Lotus says getting up and following. "Prehaps if you hadn't been drunk last night and told me that in the first place you wouldn't have had to get punched." She says like he was the one who had been punched instead of her, which was kinda true

Saver shrugged. "There's never a bad time to get drunk, if you ask me. Besides, getting drunk on beer will take a lot of it, and our carriage will be ready soon." They descended to ground floor and ordered two beers and one apple juice, which is the only non-alcoholic drink the inn had, besides water. They sat and drank in silence for a minute, with Saver casting a glance at Lotus from time to time. Then he commented. "We'll need to drop by a tailor and order you a maid uniform once we get to Corano." The Bisharp who went to prepare the carriage returned and called them. "The carriage is ready." They got up, Saver paid for the drinks and they seated themselves in the four-person carriage, with Saver and Lotus next to eachother and the two guards across from them. The carriage departed.