The man nodded and took the cash, then unchained Ashton. "Ya been bought Smokey. Don't fuck it up this time." Ashton stretched. "If you're lucky Dick, you'll see me next week." The seller only rolled his eyes and walked off to go see if anyone else had interest in his other wares. Ashton put on the fuzzy handcuffs himself, and then hung the plaque around his neck, to show he had been bought and owned. It was all legal stuff. There were names written on the plaque that then got scratched out again. His legal binding was weakening. If he failed once more he'd probably be killed, not that he cared. Better death than life at this point, in his eyes.
(Good morning!)
"Welp, let's head out, pal," Frey said. "I don't know if you saw that dude staring at you earlier, kinda short grey-brown hair? Scarring all over the place? 'Cause he's the one I got ya for." She snorted a laugh. "Never really pegged him as gay, but stranger things have happened I guess. Hope you're into that kinda stuff."
She still hadn't bothered to read the plaque, she didn't particularly care. It would be up to Boa to decide if the two were a match and what ultimately became of Ashton.
Ashton nodded as he followed. "Alright. Well there's certain rules and contract and such. I just hope he doesn't get in trouble since homosexuality has been outlawed. Again." He said with a sigh, trudging along. He really hadn't paid attention to passers by, too busy focusing on not passing out from overworking himself. He then stretched his arms out. It felt good to be walking out in the market, he just hoped no one would hit on him.
Frey grinned. "We'll I ain't planning on telling. Besides, we're military, we get some…ability to work around the laws we want to. Don't you worry about it. But hey, I never got your name? I'm Frey from Squadron thirty-seven."
She paused as they walked, letting a family of a harried father and four small children hurry across the road, heading for a bakery. A couple of the kids stared curiously at Frey and Ashton as they passed, but Frey shooed them on, scanning the crowd as she looked for her friends.
"Ashton the hopeless fucktoy." He said crudely. He looked at the kids and stuck his tongue out at them, teasing them. He actually sorta liked kids, sometimes. He knew him standing there, dressed the way he was, was going to scar the children for life but he really didn't care. "So then, where is the receiver of your present?" His stomach gave off a very loud growl of complaint.
"Ashton. Do you go by Ash?" Frey squinted into the distance. "And yeah, I dunno, I'm trying to find them. Ye Gods, I thought they said they were going to the jewelers. Welp, we may never find 'em, but let's foray forth regardless."
She started forwards, heading towards the sparkling gems and trinkets at the jewler's stand, even though her friends were apparently absent.
"Yes I go by Ash. Along with Smokey too. Ash and Smoke is my stage name. Cheesy I know, but well known. Or. It used to be." He looked over the jewelry and noticed a collar. "That reminds me, I need a sign of ownership since I am a product. It's all part of the contract on the other side of this plaque. Whether I just wear this plaque everywhere or a collar, anything. Most owners prefer one with a bell so they can hear where I am at all times. Oh and whatever he chooses must have his name on it. It's all illegal legal trade stuff." He shrugged as he itched at his arm a bit.
Frey gave a whistle. "Wow, that's messed up. But you'll have to tell him that, and good luck. He's a bit of a stick in the mud if you ask me, but you might be able to get something from him. He was pretty swept away when he saw you anyway."
She glanced across the stall, and her gaze lit up. "Aw, hey, there they are. Alright, show time, put on your best customer service smile and get ready. I'll warn you right now I'm just gonna dump you on him and jet, I don't wanna get yelled at."
She started forwards with a bounce in her step, waiting until she was almost right behind a small group of young adults, all looking at a pretty necklace laid out on display, before she spoke.
"Hey Boa, I got something for ya," she said, and the man with short grey-brown hair turned, already scowling. The left side of his face was destroyed, a mess of scars and old claw marks. The marks went down his neck and vanished below his shirt collar, hinting at further scarring, and though his arms were hidden by long sleeves, his hands had gouges and twisting scars running along them. His eyes were a bright rose gold, and as they slid past Frey and landed on Ashton, they glowed brighter with rage.
"Frey," he began, but Frey was already gone, giving him a friendly punch on the shoulder and vanishing back into the crowds with a cheery farewell cast over her shoulder.
"Enjoy!"
Boa stared at Ash, mouth a thin line. He looked angry, sure, but there was also a light of panic in his gaze as well. He had no idea what to do. He disagreed with the concept of slavery with his entire being, and the thought of owning another person made him want to physically recoil, but he didn't want to just take Ashton back. To voluntarily return someone to be bought and sold…that wasn't something he would ever want on his conscience.
Ashton looked over his new owner. He was ugly, but he could tell he used to be handsome. But the mans eyes reminded him of his sister Starla, someone he wanted to long forget. He then cleared his throat. "The plaque here is a description of who I am, what I am into, what I can be used to, and certain disadvantages. I am gay. Please do realize the risk you are taking if you choose to accept me as a toy. On the back is engraved the illegal legal contract. Just carve in your name whenever. You must have a sign of ownership on me at all times, whether it be a collar or a piece of clothing, or a piece of wood around my neck and chain, a leash. Whatever it is, must have your name on it. Most prefer a bell since they can hear where I am. I am not to wander out of your sight, such a rule break is deserving of punishment. Treat me how you wish, whether you feed me or not, clothe me or not, whatever you see fit. The only restraint is no scat or piss, no putting me in actual harm or danger outside of the bedroom, and I have a 1 week return policy." He sighed as he stretched his arms above his head, fuzzy red handcuffs rubbing softly against his skin as they slid down his wrists,before he folded his hands back in front of him. "Oh but do know, that if I get returned one more time I get killed. Probably." He shrugged. "Take off the wooden piece of me, flip it around, and sign on it with a knife please. Then I'm yours."
Boa took a couple stumbling steps back, looking horrified. "What? No! What the…" He rounded on his other friends, who were starting to look a little uncomfortable.
"Did you know she was doing this?" he snarled, and they backed away, shaking their heads. Boa's shoulders slumped and he turned back to Aston, pressing his hand to his forehead. "Can I just…set you free? I didn't want…gods, I hate her."
"Can't do that. Part of the legal illegal contract. If ya set me free, I have no job and once you're in the system, especially as long as I have, you stay. Stay until your dead. I can't do anything else, and even if I did go looking for work elsewhere, no one in their right or left mind would take me in." He shrugged. "Guess I'll go back then." His stomach growled out loudly in complaint. "Oh hush you, you went a month without food one time, you'll be fine." He then turned on his heel and slowly started to meander back.
"Stop!" Boa said, slightly louder than he'd intended. He swallowed, the look of panic growing more apparent. "No, don't do that. I…just…"
Wheeling around to Yugi, Eera and Talli, he made a monumental effort to control his temper.
"I'm going home," he said icily. "If you see Frey you can tell her to go screw herself. No one come find me, no one talk to me."
With that he stalked away past Ashton, heading towards the closest exit of the markets. "Come on," he said as he brushed by. "Follow me. We're getting some food."
(I assume swearing is fine in this, but wanted to double check ^^)
(Ashton cusses like a sailor sometimes. So.) Ashton looked at his new owner, shrugged, and followed behind him. "Yes Sir." He said in a strict tone. He used to be sassy, and lustful, or angry and pissy. Depending on if he was working or not. But years of abuse in the new Human Slave system had stripped him mostly of his personality and who he was. The government had set up the human slave system and then outlawed it, and then kept it going in secret. They want to build a new civilization of pure people, so people like Ashton were put in the human slave selling to punish them while still giving them some sort of life. New comers weren't welcomed into the system. It was to stop that type of sex industry. Ashton shambled along slowly, legs shaking still. Sometimes he stumbled. But still he kept going, having to follow Boa's orders. "Hey uh Sir? What's your name?"
(Okay, great xD also are we on a spaceship atm, or on a planet? I think either could work, but whatever you've been thinking ^^)
Boa never looked back, stiffly making his way along. It took him a moment to respond to Ashton's question, and when he did, his voice was clipped and brusque.
"Boa," he said. "And don't you dare call me 'sir' ever again. I am nothing to you."
Only once they'd left the bustling market and slipped into the quiet, near abandoned streets did Boa relax some, stopping and bracing himself against a wall and bringing a hand up to his face, pressing his forehead into his palm. He tried to quell the ever-present shaking in his left hand as he pressed into it, but that was no use of course. It was annoying and frustrating, not adding anything good to his already bad mood. At least they were out of the market now. He could take a moment and think.
For all the good it really did him. He finally looked up at Ashton, trying to ignore how insanely beautiful the man was. He realized he was more scared than angry, deep down. He had no idea what to do, this was a situation he'd never even dreamed he might find himself in, and he didn't have any way forward.
(I'm thinking planet) Ashton flinched but nodded, just following silently. He then sat on the ground as his new master pressed his shaky hand to his forehead and tried to calm down. " Take all the time you need to relax Master Boa,but I wouldn't be subject to getting some small scrap of food as soon as possible…" He said quietly. He then turned his head, and ducked it low, already preparing himself to be slapped for speaking such a way out of turn.
(Oki! ^^)
Boa's eyes shot open and he had to use all his willpower to stop himself from screaming at the other man. He stared down at Ashton, hardly able to hear over the sound of the blood rushing through his head. He wrestled with himself for a good minute or two, trying to calm down and think rationally. Finally he forced his hands to move, opening the bag he'd been carrying and pulling out the food he'd forgotten was in there. Yugi had bought it or him; it was Boa's favorite, sweet fruits and whipped cream in a sugary fried bread. Not exactly the height of nutrition, but he found he'd lost all apatite. And Ashton clearly needed food. He almost threw it at Ashton as he finally found his voice again.
"Do NOT," he managed to growl, "call me that. I'm. Boa. Not Sir, or Master, or anything else. Please. Just…take that."
Ashton flinched and scooted away. "Uh…Boa. You should eat it I…I don't deserve food for being so disrespectful." His head was still ducked and turned, full on expecting to be slapped. His stomach gurgled and even though he didn't want too, he grabbed half of the bread and practically devoured all of it in seconds flat. After that he began to feel his old self. "Well damn. That's a recipe I'll have to learn…"
"Just eat it," Boa said wearily, sinking to the ground and leaning against the wall. "I'm not hungry."
He dully realized he didn't even know what this guy's name was, and closed his eyes yet again. He'd been having a good day. He had so many regrets all condensed into the past ten minutes, he was beginning to wish he could go back and decline Talli's invitation to go shopping. Then he would still be in his room…reading or something. Literally anything but this.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Ashton. You can call me Ashy, or by my old stripper name Ash and Smoke. Or Smokey. Whatever you want, S-Boa." He didn't want to get yelled at again, as he sighed and took off the handcuffs skillfully, and then took off the wooden plaque. "You've gotta sign this still. I'd hand you a knife but I'm not allowed to have one." He then itched at his lingerie, and the bunny butt plug was really starting to get on his nerves. It now hurt more than felt good,but he wasn't about to just pull it out here and now. "Oh yeah. You'll have to send your ship name to my boss. It's a magical board don't worry. Put your name, and ship right below your name. It shows up on a piece of log paper way back at the booth. Then he'll drop the rest of my stuff off later."
Boa looked dully at the plaque, slowly reaching out and taking it. He stared at it, then finally raised his head and looked back at Ashton.
"But I don't want to…" With his initial shock and anger gone, he was able to look at Ashton more clearly. "You…said they'd kill you if I took you back?"
That was not happening. There was no way he'd willingly send this man back to a certain death. Maybe he could find a work around. Just…keep him around? No one ever said he had to…
Boa cut himself off with a shudder. He'd have to deal with it. I can make this work.
"Mhm. I've only gotten special privileges. If you get sent back a certain number of times, you're viewed as useless and then killed so someone else can take your place. They don't wait around forever. It's to help with the whole whore industry, to cut it down and such." He ran a hand through his greasy green hair. Ashton obviously needed a shower, and fresh clothes as well.
Boa hesitated for one more long second, then finally his shoulders slumped and he pulled out a small knife, engraving his details on the plaque. He stood again, and offered Ashton a hand. "Come on," he said resignedly. "Let's get back to my place. You can get some real food there."
Boa shook off the last remnants of the shock and anger that had filled him upon his initial meeting with Ashton. He had a vague plan now, at least. And there was no way he was condemning this man to death, or anything else that would likely happen to him if he was returned. There was no going back now.
Ashton nodded and followed along, humming the song he was dancing too as he stumbled along. He was tired, it was obvious. He more bumbled and stumbled then actually walked, now that he had a taste of rest his body didn't want to move. His adrenaline had gone down and his weary eyes blinked at the bleary sights he saw through his exhaustion, barely able to see the man right in front him. "Food always sounds good."
Boa was glad it wasn't actually that far to the lifts that would take them up to the militia dorms. He stared out at the shrinking marketplace as they flew higher and higher in the lift. He had food in his place, and clothes. Ashton could use his bed to sleep on, Boa almost never did anyway.
Just start there, he told himself. The rest will have to sort itself out.
He pushed his door open and held it there just long enough for Ashton to stumble through before pulling it closed and locking it, leaning heavily against it as he slowly let his hand drop from the knob.
"Sit wherever," he said, pushing away and heading over to the kitchenette. Food. Good food. That's what he needed to focus on.
(Actually your turn on this one! ^^)
Ashton laid down, and in a matter of seconds he passed out on the couch, hugging himself. He was shivering and wounded badly. How he was still alive at this point was a mystery. He was covered in bruises and hickies, and his boss would beat the crap out of him if he didn't work good enough. He fell into a rather deep sleep, as he hugged himself, too tired to care. He felt like he could sleep forever really.
Boa came back with food, halting abruptly as he saw Ashton passed out on his couch.
Ah, boy, you really done it now, he told himself with a sigh, setting down the plate of good, hot food on the table in front of Ashton. He needed to find this man better cloths. Boa's would be a little big on him, but at the moment, they were the only option he had. he found a hoodie, an old shirt, and as small a pair of pants as he had, and left them next to the plate, folded neatly. Hesitating, he wondered if he should wake Ashton, but he decided against it. Let him rest, he must have had it pretty rough. He certainly looked it.
It was getting late anyway. Boa wrote a quick note to Ash, saying he'd be in his room if Ash woke before him, and retreated to his own bed, collapsing without even changing. Though he found sleep more elusive than Ash had, staring at the ceiling for several hours before he finally drifted off.
In the middle of the night Ashton had awoken to use the bathroom. He also dressed his wounds himself, well the ones that he could, and then wolfed down the food set before him, absolutely starved. After that he got changed, and fell back asleep, now much more comfortable. In the morning though he went ahead and took a shower, redressed his wounds, and waited for Boa to come back,not wanting to wake him. The board was still around his neck since he hadn't been collared with something else yet, but he was beginning to feel more like himself. Which was good. The sleep, food, and shower had definitely helped.
Boa woke the next morning, a little confused as to why he felt an urgent need to get up. He couldn't recall any missions that day, anything that needed his attention, or…
Oh. Oh.
Right, that. He hurriedly rose, almost running face-first into the door frame as he struggled to wake up properly.
"Ashton?" he called, voice still rough from sleep. He hoped Ashton hadn't…gone anywhere? Broke anything? He didn't even know, just felt vaguely alarmed at the thought of Ashton in his apartment alone.
GOD, why didn't I put anything away… it wasn't like he had anything to hide, he just didn't want anyone to know about…well, any of the stuff he'd left scattered across his kitchen table, really. His personal stuff. Stuff he never showed anyone, because they'd ask too many questions about him, about his past, about his real home.
