John shivered as he looked out into the crowd of trolls and humans alike. He was dragged on to the stage in chains and thrown into a cage-just to make sure he wouldn't try and escape. "Trolls and humans!" the anouncer cried, "Today, we have a very special treat! All the way from Earth we have here a young boy! he is 5'5'', skinny, plays the piano, very docile and...a virgin!" many excited whispers went around the room and John couldn't help but cringe. "We start the bidding at 1,000 boondollars!" Immedietly the bids rose higher and higher and John knew it wouldn't be long before the final bid was called out and he was a goner for sure. He rested his head against the metal bars and closed his eyes, tears falling down his face. Aranea had never much cared for this practice. But the auctions always drew a crowd and she had decided to get a first hand look at what the commotion was about. Her heart went out to the boy. Something had to be done about this deplorable treatment. She thrust her hand into the air and called out in her crisp, sweet voice, "10,000 8oonies! Everyone step aside, this one is mine. I highly dou8t you'd 8e a8le to out8id me, I have a rather extensive amount of treasure set aside for just such an occasion." The announcer was stunned by her outrageous bid. "SOLD! He exclaimed. "Quick! Get him over to her before she changes her mind." He whispered to the two burly guards beside Johns cage. They opened the cage, put an iron collar around his neck, and brought him over to her with a light yet durable steel chain attatched to the collar. John knew he had no chance to escape so he resigned to crying silently. The two guards handed the chain to her. "Thank you ma'am. Please remember Ampora imports for all of your living property needs." The bowed, then took the chest of boondollars back up to the stage. "Come now." She gripped the chains in her hands and gave them a gentle tug, putting on something of a show for the onlookers. If anyone was aware of her true intentions they might have reacted unkindly. She knew how dangerous her kind could be, especially when presented with an outlier. Once they were a safe distance from the crowd she turned around to face the boy. She was much taller than him and dressed in such stunningly beautiful clothes it came as no surprise she could easily afford to bid such a hefty price for him. She reached a hand out to him and gently wiped the tears from his face. "Shh, shh, it's okay. What's your name? I'm Aranea."

The collar around his neck was heavy and cold every time he took a breath he could feel the cool iron press against his throat. When his new owner asked him his name he remebered when he was first saw what happened to the slaves who didn't answer the slavers immediatly, they were usually beaten with a whip. "J-john..." he said nervously as he was stood there fearing a beating and shuttering at her touch. She spoke as kindly as possible. "John. That's a very handsome name. So you play the piano, do you? That's a very remarka8le talent. I'm afraid I'm not much good at anything very interesting myself. Perhaps you could teach me how, sometime, if you'd feel so inclined. If you'd rather not I understand. I'll get those chains off of you as soon as we're 8ack at my hive, and find you something more suita8le to wear." He simply nodded fearfully despite her kind words. He'd seen this kind of master before. They were sweet to their slaves, giving them choices, clothes, and good meals but when they get close to feeling like an equal their master lets them know just where they stand. He's seen this technique destroy hope so many times before. He still thought in the back of his head how kind she seemed. The empath had nothing underhanded planned. She wanted to care for him, offer him comfort. She knew she couldn't simply release him, if she did so they would just capture him again and he'd be put back into the system, and possibly end up in hands far worse than hers. She'd do what she could to accommodate him, to give him as much freedom as possible without causing any sort of upset. She slackened her grip on the chains and nodded for him to follow her, walking side by side with him rather than dragging him along like some kind of disobedient pet. He followed her trying not to fall behind or move ahead. He couldn't help but think of the friend he'd made when they were being inspected for physical health. He was Dave the only other human male. Even though he only knew him through the bars of a cage he felt like he could rely on Dave. The thought of his friend drove him to cry but he tried his hardest to keep quiet. He followed his master through the streets eventually arriving at her Hive which was magnificent by any standards. He looked at it impressed by the size and brilliance. She smiled at him as her marveled at her abode. "I think you'll like it here. At least, I hope you will, John. You're free to pick any room you like as your own." She unlocked the door and gestured for him to follow her inside. They were met by an incredible burst of warm, sweet smelling air as they entered. All the rooms were lavishly adorned. She kept the place as tidy as possible aside from a few stray books strewn here and there that had been removed from her personal library. "Let me see a8out getting that collar off of you. It looks cum8ersome. 8astards didn't 8other giving me a key or anything, it's like they expect you to keep that ridiculous thing on for the rest of your life." She left him there in the living room as she went to search for something to cut the iron collar with. John stood there holding the chain running it through his hands. He thought about her words. "Was she really going to take this collar off?" He said quietly. He decided to go and take a seat on the lavish couch that rested in front of a roaring fire. The burlap rags that John wore didn't do much as far as warmth so he decided to get on his knees in front of the fire and try to warm his hands. When he heard her approach he rushed back to the spot he stood when she left.

She blinked as she reentered the room. She let out a soft, girlish giggle. "You're free to move a8out the hive however you like. It's your home as well, now. 8ut first, I'll need you to come over here so I can cut that trou8lesome chain off. You'll need to hold still I don't want to accidentally 8urn you." She held up what appeared to be the handle of an antique dagger. She played with it in her hand for a moment and suddenly a blue beam of light in the shape of a blade shot out of it. "Pirates... they have all kinds of silly 8ut useful weapons. Just a little something from my collection. It should do the trick." When John saw the energy blade he shuttered. He moved cautiously over to her and knelt down submissively exposing his collar. Despite her promise to cut off the collar he felt so scared that she planned on burning him to mark him as hers. He remained still as she brought the light blade down on the iron ring. It sparked yet cut through the iron like butter. When the heavy iron fell off of his neck he put his hand to his neck just to confirm that he was really free of it. He could still feel the light cut that it left on his neck and it burned ever so slightly. He looked up to see her smiling face and he put his forehead to the ground and began thanking her. "Thank you for your kindness master." He said as he grovelled. "You're welcome, you're welcome. Don't 8e so silly. You don't have to get on 8ended knee to show your gratitude." She placed a hand on his shoulder and rubbed it soothingly and then gestured for him to rise to his feet. It wasn't a command, rather a suggestion. She tried to be as lax about it as possible. "Let's check the wardro8e to see if I have something more 8ecoming for you to wear. There's plenty of gender neutral clothes in the far reaches of my closet." He followed her over to a wardrobe of clothes. "What do you want me to wear, master?" He asked respectfully with a twang of fear. More than anything he didn't want to enrage her. John still didn't know if her intentions were as true as she let on and if it meant he could stay on her good side he would be her submissive pet. Now that he thought about it...he didn't have the will to resist. He just wanted to be safe. She realized he would be timid until he was used to her company. She decided, rather than making any kind of demands, she's just offer suggestions in the most helpful way possible to get him going. "Anything that catches your eye. 8ut this is a particularly handsome shirt, I find." She said, removing a lovely button down dress shirt from the wardrobe. "And these pants would 8e very functional as well as comforta8le." She grabbed a pair of dark blue slacks as well and held the garments out to him. "What do you think? I could find you a nice sweater as well, if you're chilly." He began disrobing in front of her feeling red rush to his face. The clothes she gave to him were simple but much better than the burlap textured rags he wore. The shirt irritated the small cut the collar left around his neck. "D-do you like it?" he asked nervously. The clothes felt light and comfortable to him considering he was being weighed down by the heavy collar and rough burlap.

A light blue blush crept onto her cheeks. She had not intended for him to undress before her. She made no comments about it though, trying to be as casual as possible about the situation at hand. "I think you look very charming. The 8etter question is, though, do you like it? Does it fit alright? I wouldn't want you to 8e running around in something you found unpleasant to wear." "Anything is better than what I had." he gave her a light smile. He noticed the light blue on her cheeks "Are you feeling sick, Master? Your face is blue." He asked with a hint of concern in his voice. He didn't think she was sick but couldn't imagine why she would be blushing. He was inspected so many times he didn't think seeing him nude was a thing to be embarrassed about any more. "Oh, no, no, I'm not sick at all, it's nothing." She didn't want to embarrass him by reminding him he had just been stark naked not seconds ago. She was being mature about it, but it still had surprised her to see him strip before her very eyes. "How a8out we go to the kitchen and I fix you something to eat? I imagine you're very hungry. They couldn't have 8een feeding you very well." John followed her to her kitchen which of course was lavish. Now that he thought about it they fed him just enough to keep him alive but weak. He sat down at the table as she started making him something to eat. He played with his hands for a few minutes before he noticed a piano sitting in the room across from the kitchen. When he was still with his father he would play the piano to settle his nerves. "E-excuse me but would you like to hear some music?" He asked timidly. She was beginning to make preparations for their meal when John's shy voice pierced the air. She walked over and smiled warmly at him. "Of course, of course. I would love to hear some music. In fact, that old thing has never 8een played 8y anyone, come to think of it. I thought it just looked nice, added a touch of class to the place. Like I said, I wasn't 8lessed with any sort of musical talents and I never found anyone who could teach me." She brushed some of his disheveled hair from his face so she could kiss him gently on the forehead. "Play whatever you like." Her kiss was warm and affectionate which made Johns face slightly red. He moved from the kitchen to the piano. He lifted up the case covering the keys.

Even though she said she's never played it the keys were free of any dust. He began to play a light, sad, and somehow hopeful melody. This was the only song he played that drove his father the strongest, most reliable man he knew to tears. She looked positively stunned as the wonderful melody filled the house. She swayed gently to the softer, slower parts, and found herself subtly dancing as the music picked up speed. She appeared extremely cheerful as she cooked their dinner. The pleasant aroma of the food sauteing on the stove top mingled with the beautiful music created a very sublime atmosphere. "Oh, John, you're incredi8ly talented. That music... I have no words, I don't think I've ever heard a melody quite as enchanting as that." John wasn't used to anyone really complementing his paying before aside from his father. "Thank you. Would you like to hear more?" He said as he smiled warmly to her. He smelled the sweet smell of the food caused Johns stomach to growl loudly. "I'm sorry..." He apologized not fully knowing why. He felt a little embarrassed for his hunger. She chuckled at his apology. "It's quite fine John, come over here and get some food. I hope you like 8acon and eggs." She said with a nuturing smile. John walked over to the table and began eating cautiously. She looked at John eating slowly as if he was checking for poison. She can scarcly imagine what this boy must've seen during his time in the slave market. She knew it was bad but she didn't know it had this kind of emotioal effect on people. She got up and wrapped her slender arms around John giving him a reasureing hug. "You don't have to be afraid of me, I won't hurt you.". Upon feeling her warmth on his back and hearing her soothing words John felt himself tearing up. Even though he still belonged to Aranea, John felt like, for the first time in years, he was free.