Hanni awoke with the sensation of being dragged, her head aching and swimming. She was completely enclosed in what felt like a thickly woven bag, her hands and feet bound and her mouth gagged. She tried to struggle but to no avail – there would be no squirming out of this one, and whatever Danissa had injected her with made her muscles weak and numb.

"Careful, she's waking up," she heard Danissa warn, though her voice was somewhat different – sharper, more confident, less innocent and more... harsh.

"She give ya much trouble?" asked a growling, unfamiliar voice.

"No, but I have to be back quick to alert everyone that she 'escaped.'" She tittered. "Make sure you get that tracker out now, it needs to be gone by the time I tell Tivan his slave ran off."

The gruff man chuckled heavily, but Hanni heard him shifting something around.

"Don't forget this," he said.

"Ah, the knife! Thanks Rrngaar, might've taken me too long to try to find one in his place."

"You're not gonna do it here, are ya?" he asked incredulously.

"Don't be stupid," she snapped. "If I'm gonna make this believable it has to be a fresh wound."
"You gonna cut yer face?"
"Of course not," she said angrily. "Just my arm, but close enough to my wrist that it looks believable that she tried to attack me."

Hanni heard another soft noise, followed by fading footsteps. Rrngaar spit on the ground and hoisted Hanni up over his shoulder, but paused. He lowered her back down to the ground slowly, but suddenly a small ping rang out and she could hear his massive body hitting the earth. Her eyes got wide and she tried to struggle once more, but she could hear several people surrounding her, though they made no movement to free Hanni from the bag or her bindings.

What am I going to do? she thought in panic. It was obvious the Krylorian was trying to kidnap her, likely to sell, but why ?

After a few minutes, she heard a small roar of voices in the distance, the sound of something hard hitting flesh, and then, silence. After another moment, she heard more footsteps approaching, and the people surrounding her backed away. Blinding light hit her in the face as the bag opened, and she saw with desperate relief the face of her master above her. He scowled and motioned for someone she couldn't see to cut her bindings. A guard approached her and complied and Hanni attempted to right herself, but her muscles were still weak from the injection.

"Surround the building, and dispose of this carcass," Tivan ordered his guards. Hanni looked behind her and saw the dead body of the burly monster who had attempted to carry her off. His golden skin was marred with filth and scars, his hair sparse and patchy, an odor coming off of him like sweat and spoiled milk. A hole was burnt through his chest where he had been shot. It took four of the guards to lift him and carry him to a waiting vehicle – the one Danissa and her companion must have been waiting to load her into – they entered and left. Hanni wobbled to her feet, her head reeling, only her and her master left in the alley behind his museum. He began to walk back towards the rear door, motioning for Hanni to follow, but she tripped and fell in the muddy street, still dazed and numb. Embarrassed, but in a pinch, she called out.

"Master..."

Tivan turned back to her and noticed her struggle. He gave a soft, irritated sigh, glancing around to see if any guards were still nearby, but resigned himself and held out a white-gloved hand to his slave. She took it carefully and he lifted her up as though she weighed nothing. He wrapped her arm about his shoulders and placed a hand on her hip. Hanni shuddered somewhat at his touch as he practically dragged her to the door, through the halls, and into the main corridor of the museum, where he dumped her unceremoniously into a chair that still had tendrils of smoke rising from it – the previous occupant, one of the male guests Tivan had been entertaining, was lying on the floor, lifeless, his wounds smoking. The other visitors were not there, but Hanni had a good idea of where they might be. She was still wearing the thin blue dress she had been sold in, and the cold of the museum made her shiver and wrap her arms about herself for warmth. Suddenly she felt something warm and soft cover her nearly-bare shoulders and she looked up to see Tivan wrapping his fur cloak about her. Surprised, she tried to modestly refuse, but he gave her a look of stern insistence.

"You are in shock," he explained. "That's why you are numb, and cold."
"I thought it was whatever Danissa gave me," she mumbled, suddenly perking up with realization. "She was going to take me...!"

Her master waved a hand for her silence, bored.

"I already know all this. My guards told me as much. Honestly, it was a very sloppy attempt on their part – they underestimated me and my control of Knowhere." He chuckled slightly. "I found out within seconds where the pretend slave had taken you."

"So, it was all a setup?" she asked meekly. "Why?"

"I'm afraid that one is... my fault," he said haltingly, as though hesitant to admit he was wrong. "I paid an exorbitant sum for you; I should have expected some would wonder why you were so expensive, and I cannot act surprised that there would be a kidnapping attempt."

Hanni was genuinely curious now as to what her price had been. Just how much did he pay that people would want to resell me? she wondered with alarm.

"So... the visitors... Danissa... they were only here for me?"

"Yes. I assume, anyway – there's no telling what else of mine they would have tried to steal once I'd have become distracted by your disappearance."

"Oh," she said. She was still so curious... "Master," she began, "How much..." Hanni fell off, shutting her mouth and looking away, ashamed by her sudden rudeness.

He raised an eyebrow and gave her a look of disappointed annoyance. She shrank under his gaze and apologized.

"Seventy-five thousand," he decided to respond.

Hanni gasped, suddenly covering her mouth in embarrassment. She cowered and begged his forgiveness, but he held up a finger for her silence.

"You were not worth that much," he said, though without insult in his tone. "It was mostly for... bragging rights," he admitted, though Hanni could hear no shame in his voice. "By paying top money for a slave, I was bound to attract attention – good attention. I have units enough, and purchasing respect and admiration is certainly a lot easier than gaining it right now." He suddenly laughed a little. "Half of my collection is destroyed; if I want to rebuild it I will need visitors and sellers. They would not come for a man whose home is in shambles unless they knew he still had money."

He turned to her with a smile and Hanni suddenly felt sorry for him. His collection consumed his life; it was everything to him. Now he had hardly anything left – she supposed owning something expensive, even if he had set the exorbitant price himself, likely made him feel normal again. She returned his smile, her eyebrows still knit up in concern.

"Well... thank you," she whispered. She honestly meant it. Not for how much he had paid for her, necessarily, but for the fact that he found her valuable enough to save her.

Tivan nodded in curt acknowledgment, turning away from her. Suddenly he paused.

"Tomorrow we will get you new uniforms," he said bluntly. "If people are to know how much I paid for you, you must look as much as you are worth."

And with that he left her alone to mull over in her mind what he had said.

As much as you are worth.