Nephi x S'Zura

[SirBlazeALot]

Nephi & S'Zura
KageYuuki​

 

[SirBlazeALot]

C-Rank
Time
Some Time Before Chapter 2
Location
Prowler House, Taros
​

Another day, another gold coin. Nephi flipped one up and down with his thumb idly like a true rogue as he waited for the next haul to come in. The sun had just barely risen for a few hours and his sister was already sapped out with their "wise" leader, who had apparently "forgotten" that Nephi hated slave wrangling. He had no qualms with luring some poor, probably drunken furskin to their fate, but it weighed heavily on his conscience when he actually had to be the brute dragging them to the cage. The poor unfortunate souls made the ordeal difficult to watch, what with the tears, wails of agony, and the often viciously desperate struggle that only invited their captors to be even more malicious toward them.

Nephi disguised his sympathy behind the mask of an egotistical swordsman. He lead others to believe he was simply too good for such work, that his talents were better utilized elsewhere. In hindsight, doing so had probably made the Boss even more spiteful toward him. His sister stumbled into his room this morning, belligerently woke him from a peaceful slumber, and gave him the Boss's orders. When he protested, his sister begged him to just do it, she promised she would tell the Boss that he didn't like this sort of work, and she even offered to give him some of the gold she earned yesterday from dealing. It was quite obvious to Nephi the Boss was using her to manipulate him, but it was also effective. He couldn't say no to his sister, aside from rejecting her gold.

As the Prowlers' slave caravan came over the bridge, Nephi caught his gold coin for the last time and placed it in his pocket. He strode toward the caravan as it approached, and in spite of his mood, greeted the driver with a pleasant, "Good morning, Amias~ How many today?"
"Just one," Amias replied gruffly as the caravan came to a halt. A second Prowler in the passenger seat hopped down and proceeded toward the back of the wagon.
"Just one?" Nephi repeated incredulously, nearly failing to mask his anger that he'd been dragged out of bed for "just one."
"Yep," Amias affirmed. "Damn furskins aren't all that easy to find up north anymore, ya know? Most of 'em wisened up by now. Lucky for us, a couple of the Emperor's boys got tired of this one."
"I'd hardly count that as lucky."
"Better than nothing."

Nephi hummed in agreement as he heard the backdoors of the caravan swing open, and the sickening sound of a bound body unceremoniously hitting the dusty canyon road. "Let's go kitty!" he heard the Prowler man exclaim. Yet when he looked around the caravan, he spotted his "cohort" dragging a woman with bound ankles and wrists by her hair, which was both unusual and cruel treatment in the eyes of the swordsman.
"Hey hey hey! Take it easy!" Nephi approached the Prowler swiftly and stopped before him. "What the hell're you doing?! For Ord's sake, she's a woman, not a sack of rice!"
"Steele's boys told us she was a feisty one, so we didn't take any chances. Besides, this thing's only half woman," the Prowler added with a snicker before giving S'Zura a swift kick in the ribs. "Might try to run if we let her we let her walk."
Nephi folded his arms and replied, "Isn't that what I'm here for? Or am I just here to make sure oafs like you aren't damaging our stock? How do you think the Boss's gonna feel when the only slave you two brought back has a broken rib~?"
"Ah quit with the damn white knight act, Nephi!" the Prowler responded. "'S just a love tap, she'll be fine. You know you don't have to be nice, or even ask if you wanna bed the damn thing, right? I know Steele's boys didn't! Damn thing's probably already got a Branded in her al--"
Nephi shoved the Prowler aside. "I think you and Amias have more work to do, yes~? Or did you have time for a sparring match?" Nephi unsheathed an inch of his sword and let the bit of metal gleam in the sunlight, and the Prowler boldly stepped forward and met Nephi's eyes with his own as his hand reached for the club at his hip.

"We sure do," Amias interjected before the situation escalated further. "It's a long way to Ifrin," the driver added. "And Nobu and them are waiting in Hadria. So lets take a rain check on the dick contest, okay?"
"Yeah..." the Prowler agreed, warily backing away from Nephi.
"Of course~! I'm always willing to wait for Lady Victory to find her way into my loving arms once again~" Nephi agreed and sarcastically bowed to the Prowler. The bigger man snorted and bumped past Nephi as he returned to the passenger seat. "Ave, gentlemen~!" Nephi bid them a very respectful Tarosian farewell as the caravan departed and left him alone with the bound panther.

KageYuuki​

 

[KageYuuki]

Everything hurt.

Bleary crimson hues could only take in the early morning sun and rough-hewn wood of the wagon. S'Zura was bounced and rocked around by the pothole-ridden road. Coarse ropes all too willingly bit into her flesh. The Prowler's idle chatter drifted over the creaks of the wagon and sounds of horses.

So tired...

The panther considered attempting to sit up or just shift into a more comfortable position. But the ropes made that more than difficult. Not to mention the last attempt won her the dark bruise under her eye. White ears pivoted towards the sound of a new voice.

"Good morning, Amias~ How many today?"

So they were here then... Here to be held and sold to some wretched noble...

The driver and newcomer's voices faded into the background as they came to a stop, her focus more on the heavy footsteps moving around to climb into the wagon. Rough hands seized and all but threw her out onto the hard ground. "Let's go kitty!" A low hiss of pain and anger rose in her throat as she was taken by the hair and dragged along.

The newcomer stepped around the corner, scolding the other for his actions. "What the hell're you doing?! For Ord's sake, she's a woman, not a sack of rice!"

S'Zura eyed him warily. Why did he even care? He was just like the other two in the end.

"Steele's boys told us she was a feisty one, so we didn't take any chances. Besides, this thing's only half woman,"

"And you won't be a man when I get my claws on-" A swift kick interrupted S'Zura, leaving the panther to catch her breath. She hated how raspy and weak her voice sounded.

"....Or am I just here to make sure oafs like you aren't damaging our stock?...." Just like she thought, that's all the new guy cared about. S'Zura paid little attention to the rest of their conversation, still noting how close it came to blows. Shame it didn't.

As she was left alone with her new keeper, the panther silently glared at him. Her ears pinned back and tail slowly flicking.

 

[SirBlazeALot]

Nephi watched the caravan roll away with disdain. His eyes softened as the fell down to S'Zura, but nevertheless he drew a collar from his jacket, and a chain from his hip. He squatted down beside her and fastened the dark leather around her neck reluctantly. "I'm sorry about that..." he apologized readily for his "comrades", and though his tone dripped with genuine sympathy, he had the eyes of a guilty man. He couldn't look into S'Zura's crimson pools of pain and rage for more than a half second.

"They shouldn't be so rough," he began. He'd been searching for the right words and failed to find them, so he began rambling as he continued to secure her new collar. The swordsman sighed and added, "You were too weak to stand against them, but that doesn't mean they must be cruel. Though the way you speak doesn't exactly invite mercy."

KageYuuki​