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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Orichalcum" data-source="post: 4907594" data-attributes="member: 3722">Laoshi Tai-tai continued.Once the slave dealer rejoined his main caravan, Rian was handed over to a slavemistress named Mara. Mara was a plump Xaimani woman, loaded down with jangling bracelets. She pursed her narrow lips, eying the girl."Take those rags off, slave. We need to see whether you're worth more as a bribe for the next set of town guards or whether we should just turn you into meat for the Emperor's tigers," Mara ordered harshly.Rian complied quietly, shrugging out of her robe despite the chains, but  she also bent down to the ground as she dropped her garments and surreptitiously gathered a handful of dust. As she crouched on the ground, she threw the dust on Mara's feet and silently murmured her great-grandfather's words of power in her head.When she slowly rose, trying to hide her nakedness as best possible, Mara's wrinkled face was slowly beaming at her, with an awkward grimace, as if the woman had forgotten how to smile. "Well, aren't you a pretty little thing? Don't worry, dear, I think I have just the robe to drive your purchase price up to the sky. You'll be going someplace very special, don't you fret."Rian thanked her, smiling inwardly at her success, and graciously accepted the new red silk robe and the double rations - to fatten her up, as Mara said. Every few hours, she kept re-casting her spell to charm the slavemistress, and made sure to pour a few drops of rice wine out at a crossroads as an offering to her great-grandfather's spirit in gratitude. She grew exhausted from her frequent use of magic, but kept casting the spell out of fear that the effect would otherwise wear off.Over the next few weeks, the caravan traveled east and north through Sziao and Xaiman, acquiring dozens of slaves from impoverished villages. Most of the slaves were simply resold at the next plantation they came to. One buyer complained that the last batch the dealer had sold him had been unable to work sufficiently hard and died after a month, so the dealer gave him a discount and a larger number this time. They joined other, larger caravans, but the main dealer and slavemistress stayed in charge of the Szianar captives, as they could speak most easily to them. Through Mara's patronage, Rian was able to stay on with the caravan, while her owners looked for "just the right customer." She gradually charmed a guard or two and the cook, but was never able to get enough guards at once that escape seemed possible. At all costs, she could not let her Golden Blood be revealed, she knew, or she would be turned over to the mages of the Radiant Path. So she bided her time and acted as cautiously as possible. Mara taught her noble etiquette and some Xaimani dances, to try and increase her value.After many, many weeks of travel, the caravan reached the great slave markets of Xaiman. Mara painted Rian's face and dressed her in a sheer white robe, much to the girl's embarrassment. She led her up onto the block and loudly advertised Rian's grace, beauty, and submissiveness. The bidding was reasonably fierce, although Rian heard one bidder commenting, "I don't know what all the fuss is about. She's pretty enough, I suppose, but nothing special, and the slavemistress is talking as if she's fit to be an Imperial Concubine!" Eventually, the last bidder was an older, shaven-headed slave. After handing over the money to Mara, who embraced Rian and gave her a handful of tinny bracelets - "for making yourself pretty" -, the slavemaster turned to Rian herself."You are to become a dancing girl in the court of my master, Tang, the Minister of State. I hope you will live up to the gushing praise of this dealer, girl, or we will quickly find a position far less comfortable for you."</blockquote>

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