Blackbirds for sale. [Shizune][Open to those in Port Royal]

[ship_mouse]

Character(s): Shizune, OCs
Setting: The slave market, Port Royal
Time: Autumn
Summary: Shizune's on the block.
Warning(s): None.

The smell was the hardest thing to get used to. Even after the closed decks on the ship she had been captured on, this was intolerable. At least the sea air would scrub some of the filthy smells away. There was no respite form

Comments

[lady_tsunade]

Tsunade fanned herself with just enough energy to generate some air flow. Despite the fact the carriage's curtains were pulled back and the carriage itself was moving, the air was just so hot and heavy and thick and still. She had only been in Port Royal a week and already she was wondering if it might not have been better to just sell everything. At least in England the air moved. And it wasn't so damned hot.

She was taking this carriage ride so she could learn the layout of the place she now called home. Her man of business had done well, making the arrangements to have a spacious house to call her own. The weekend would bring a party to celebrate her arrival; in the meantime preparations had to be made. For once she had decided to not oversee the whole affair. Thee rest, she promised herself, she ould.

So far the people of this place had been nothing but welcoming, up to and including the govenor. He already knew the real story but was courteous enough to accept her tale of a decision to relocate because she heard so

[lady_tsunade]

The slaver wasn't expecting a new face in the crowd - or carriage, rather, as he couldn't see the face of the woman who just bid - but the more, the merrier. This bold woman could drive up the price quite nicely.

"Seventy pounds! We have our first bid gentlemen - and ladies," he added, nodding to the hidden woman. "Truly a woman who knows good stock when she sees it. Do I hear eighty?"

[sagace_immortel]

As much as Orochimaru could benefit from slave auctions and however eagerly he might look forward to them, he rarely enjoyed the process of actually attending and going through the business, depending on the merchant. Those who didn't know him had no idea of his tastes or purposes and lacked the method of negotiation that Orochimaru preferred. Those who did know him knew how to get through the matter quickly and efficiently, but because they knew those tastes and purposes, they were also aware of how to try and negotiate to their own benefit. A risky endeavor, obviously, but such was financial standing

[lady_tsunade]

A few heads turned to see the the second that was joining in with the bidding wars, a couple of grumbles in defeat knowing that the gold lining their pockets wasn't that deep and while someone like her would be handy to have around, she wasn't worth that much of a price.

The seller "aah-ed" pointing at the direction of the voice taking note of his bid. "Eighty pounds. Do I hear Ninety?" Promoting the stock was always needed to generate excitement in the crowds, pulling the dirty women forward hard enough to make her stumble on her feet and showing off her features, she would be worth their money, sneering at them pushing forth the sales pitch. "She is a true treat, more than just looks"

Starting a new thread as the writing's awfully squished.

[lady_tsunade]

Tsunade's eyes hardened in the shadowed space of her carriage. Someone was bidding against her? The reason of why hardly mattered, but she sneered faintly at the auctioneer's crude remarks. True, he was only doing his job, but it irked her greatly. This "man's world", in her succinct opinion, bloody reeked. She had been lucky, she knew; born to gentry and loved enough by her family to be allowed to explore things for herself. But how rare that was.

She couldn't see who the other bidder was; too many people and the forced perspective of the carriage didn't help, either.

Challenge filled eyes that glinted gold a moment. "Ninety-one."

I love bidding wars

[lady_tsunade]

"Ninety-one!" The auctioneer's voice nearly glinted like his eyes as the two wealthy patrons bid against each other. One, he knew, the other looked just as stubborn, if not more so. "The bid is ninety-one! Do I hear one hundred?"

Orochimaru wishes to point out the inconvenience of this affair and insists that Ebay is better.

[sagace_immortel]

Orochimaru hesitated. He wished he could at least see his competition to get some idea of her price range or determination, but as it was, he had only his money to work for him.

"One hundred ten," he called up. Haggling was a useful art, but with his impatience and general desire for getting what he wanted, he wanted to knock out the single opposition and get this process over with.

Tsunade believes Oro-kun's just lazy.

[lady_tsunade]

Tsunade's eyebrow lifted a moment at the sudden steep increase in price. Someone seemed a bit anxious. No reason for her to drive the amount up unnecessarily. The only price that mattered was the higher, and for all her horrible luck with gambling, Tsunade was not stupid nor was this gambling.

She smiled, cat-like, though the only one to notice was the maidservant sitting across from her in the carriage. (More shadow than human, the girl rarely spoke which was why Tsunade liked her. Chatter was boring, however necessary to keep an ear out for any sort of new developments.)

"One hundred eleven~" she called out gaily. Gave her the larger bid, and offered a subtle sneer at her faceless competitor's impatience.

[ship_mouse]

Shizune shook her head mutely, but didn't bother to try to back off of the block. She was too tightly held. There was no slack. There was no way through the crowds leering at her, watching the bidding war. Bidding war. Bidding war.

There had to be a chance. An opening. Somehow. Somewhere.

[lady_tsunade]

Tsunade smirked. When this was over, she would need to actually meet the other bidder. If nothing else to simply see his face. Opening her eyes again, she saw how tense the poor girl's posture looked. That wiped away any amusement she felt. She and the other weren't bickering over some stupid trinket, they were deciding the girl's life. Lord Almighty knew what the other man wanted of the girl. While Tsunade honestly didn't have a clue of what she would do either, her gut warned her it would be a bad thing if she didn't take the girl under her wing.

Eyes serious and steady, the Lady tried to will the girl to look at her. "One hundred twenty," she called out in a way it was less an offer but more a command. The sooner this finished, the better.

[sagace_immortel]

Orochimaru noticed the girl's movement, but at the same time didn't. It was irrelevant and this was business, plain and simple, and he had no mood for unnecessary length unless he was causing it, but for the moment he was forced to keep a relatively steady pace. Still, even the opposing woman seemed to be taking more of a stand, so he could risk another jump to see the effect.

"One hundred forty."

[lady_tsunade]

"One hundred sixty," came the quick reply.

Tsunade didn't try picturing the other. She just wanted the bidding to be over, but she didn't want to give the appearance of impatience, either. That would encourage him, she thought, and she definitely didn't want to do that. The price had already risen to something a bit dear, but she had decided: the girl on the block was coming home with her.

[lady_tsunade]

"Two hundred," Tsunade answered. Internally, she winced at the cost. But her determination remained strong. She would win this.

She would also investigate the identity of the other.

[lady_tsunade]

The auction master could barely repress the very wide, delighted grin he felt inside. This was the best deal he had ever made, and the most profit on one simple slave than he'd ever seen in a lifetime. Remaining professional, and knowing his regular client may not be in the bidding much longer, he called out, "Two hundred! The bid is two hundred! Do I hear more? Two hundred going..."

[sagace_immortel]

Orochimaru hesitated. He knew his limit, but now it was a matter of determining how best to approach it; to slowly make his way up to test the competition's resolve, or go all in and try to intimidate her.

But impatience had left its mark, so he swiftly decided on the latter.

"Two hundred thirty."

[lady_tsunade]

Tsunade flicked her fan open again to hide the silent snarl from being observed. This had gone on long enough. Didn't he realized she would walk away the winner, not he?

"Two hundred fifty-five."

[ship_mouse]

Two hundred and fifty-five... she wasn't sure of the numbers, but that sure sounded like a LOT of money. And the two bidders... their voices got very, very serious at the end. It must have been a strain. Maybe more than they wanted to pay. More than they thought she was worth. Would the lady be very angry to have won, after all?

She couldn't think about that. Only look for an opening. Only look for a moment where their attention was turned another way. Just look for the smallest gap to escape through.

Shizune slumped, giving every sign of being defeated and cowed into submission. She followed the assistant to the building, head down, looking at her feet - and peeking at the surrounding crowd and area through the hair hanging over her face.

[sagace_immortel]

Orochimaru watched as the girl was led off and another onto the stage, but anything after that was of no further interest to him. A moment of hesitation and then he was moving towards the shop at a steady but no less determined pace. He was curious about who had beaten him -- curious, and bitter -- and if nothing else, he wanted to know her face.

He stopped near the building, positioned so that he could see her coming when she did.

[lady_tsunade]

Acquiring the necessary money didn't take all that long, and soon Tsunade had left the cool shelter of her rig for the blistering heat outside. The parasol opened with a snap as she stepped down. The common folk (there really was no other way to describe them en masse) for the most part stepped as out of the way as the square would provide, when packed. She herself said nothing, simply skirted along the edges as much as possible before making directly for the auction-house.

Pale eyebrows lifted in surprise when she saw the pale, dark-haired man standing in the awning's shadow outside the building. "Well, I'll be damned. Orochimaru," she continued in her normal voice, "is that really you?" She grinned; he was one of the few people she considered an actual friend, and it had been at least a decade since she had seen the man. But she would always remember that alabaster skin and those golden eyes.

[ooc: Oro-mun, before you reply, would you email me? darkmegami@yahoo.com]

[sagace_immortel]

Even for Orochimaru, the surprise was too great not to show. His expression was openly taken aback -- Tsunade; how long had it been? How much had she learned about him in the years since? Perhaps not much, because the look she gave him seemed real enough, much like how he had known it to be all those years ago. Suspicion aside, however, there was a part of him that actually was pleased to see her, if only because it reminded him that there were some parts of his life -- very, very few -- that were not scattered with distrust in some form or another. A rare feeling, and perhaps all the more reason that Orochimaru did not mind it and still considered them comrades after all this time.

He moved quickly into a returning smile, although as always it came off as more of a smirk. "Dear Tsunade," he greeted, straightening up. "I should be asking you that question." He tilted his head, amused. "Have these years even touched you at all? I envy you."