The planting season had just been finished. A young plantation owner was in town, looking at the new stock of slaves that had been brought in.

" , it's good to see you again! Are you looking to buy, or sell this time?" A pudgy yet friendly man asked the plantation owner.

The golden blond man looked over to the trader with a big is a smile. "I'm looking for an extra hand this time." He told the trader.

The large man nodded. "Then come! I'll show you the ones we have." The older man took under his wing to show him around.

Alfred Jones was a large plantation owner in the south. He had succeeded his father only a few years before. The previous had a reputation to being fair and courteous to even the lowest of slave that was in his work force. The previous had taught his young son the same ideals. Now the previous has passed away, and Alfred had taken over the plantation at the young age of twenty-six.

However, they were still property.

The trader showed Alfred the selection of slaves, standing side by side in the early summer heat. Most of them were looking down, solemn, and all of them were chained or bound by rope. Alfred was weighting how useful each one would be on the farm, asking questions about if they also had family being traded. When the answer was yes, he moved on. He did not have the funds to purchase a family today. He could only take one…

His eyes went half way down the fifth row of slaves, the shaded ones. When he was standing there and caught glimpses of a tall white man, he thought it was another buyer. Alfred moved down the row and the trader scrambled to keep up with him. "Ah! So you've spotted him!"

Alfred nodded. "What's he doing here?" He asked. Before him was a large man, arms dangling in front of him. He was one of the tallest people Alfred had ever seen, with light blond hair, and skin as pale as snow. He had his eyes closed, face down turned.

The trader came around and put a hand to the white slave's arm. The big man didn't even shift as the trader started to talk. "This man came into debt while working in a coal shaft in a ways north." He said simply. "He's a foreigner, and doesn't speak much English, but he can take orders and is as strong as an ox."

"What's his name?" Alfred asked, and it was when he asked that question the man looked up from the ground, opening his eyes, and stared right into Alfred's. Alfred felt his heart skip a beat. They were a stunning violet, a color he had never seen before.

The trader smiled. "His name is Ivan Braginski. The price is $187."

Alfred hesitated, mulling it over as the violet eyes turned from him back to the ground. He had already made up his mind. "How about $178?"

The trader shook his head. "$184 and not any less."

Alfred wanted to save money where he could. "How about $170 in cash, and the rest an equal amount in goods?" He had brought some of his goods for sale in town anyway.

The trader accepted the offer, and tried to swindle Alfred a few extra dollars' worth of goods. Alfred caught him, and after some more negotiation the Trader knocked off eight more dollars to get the goods that he wanted for his wife and children.

Ivan was taken off of the row and set to the side as Alfred finished his business in town, and came back to pick him up. As he helped the big man into the back of the wagon, the trader gave Alfred a package. "Here. An extra set of clothes that came with him is in here."

"Thanks." He took the package and glanced at the man as he did. He didn't even seem to acknowledge that anything even happened. Alfred frowned. He got back on the wagon and took the reins. "Let's go Wally." He gently snapped them and the horse started towards home.

The trip back, Alfred tried to ask Ivan, "So, you're on the way to your new home. How do you feel about that?" When he didn't answer, Alfred tried again. "Where are you from, anyway?" No answer. "….How about the weather? How do you like it?" He looked back, and Ivan was watching him out of the corner of his eye. As soon as they made eye-contact however, he instantly shifted his eyes away and out of the wagon. Alfred sighed, and decided to go ahead and look at the package he came with as Wally trotted on. He took the old fabric sac onto his lap and opened it. Like the trader said, there was a set of clothes in here. But there was also, "A scarf?" He said out loud, looking at an old, faded, and faintly coal covered pink scarf. "You won't need this around here." He said, shrugging, and flinging it to clear off some of the coal smell.

"That is mine!" He was startled by the booing voice that came behind him, thick with accent. Alfred looked back and saw Ivan staring right at the scarf.

"Oh, so you DO talk." Alfred smiled. He realized that it looked like he was about to throw it. Clearly the thing had a special meaning for the slave. "Don't worry, I'll keep it nice and safe." He smiled at the slave man. Ivan scowled towards him, and then looked away.

Alfred sighed as he turned back to the road, the plantation coming up ahead.

Hey y'all! Geo here. ^~^ I know this'll probably make people angry or something as I do stereotypical people, but hey.

This is based off an RP with my friend(I only do RPs with two people. If I try others I fail). I was Russia, and she was America. Most of the characters are not based off of the Hetalia characters. Thus far we only have four, and one is a double of the same country, so yeah.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy. ^_~