(Sounds good to me!)
Micheal looked up as he realized the hour was coming to an end, not hiding his relief. He stood from the spot he had sat in against the wall, brushing his pants off.
"It's been a wonderful evening," he said, unable to hold some sarcasm back. "But I think I'm going to take my leave now." He nudged Lucrèce to wake him up before heading through the door and out to the main room. His friends were waiting for him, the man who had tried to purchase Lucrèce earlier smirking some.
"Was she worth it?"
"Hell no," Micheal said. He was tired, most of his filter gone. "I doubt I'll be coming back here with you guys after the hour I've had. All she did was sleep."
Lucrèce hadn’t fallen asleep completely, too on edge with the other man in the room. He never meant for Micheal to sit on the floor—though that wasn’t to say he didn’t appreciate being the only one on the bed. He thought it fair, even, since he had been the one on floor in the previous hour.
Lucrèce followed the man out in silence, a frown on his face, and sending back a short glare at the feedback.
Good riddance, he thought to himself, one less man profiting this godforsaken business.
This wasn't a good thing for a customer to say. Especially in the same room that Alcides was in. He took a few steps forward, to the group of men.
"Is something wrong, my good sir?" Micheal looked to Alcides, growing timid again.
"W-Well, ah… the lady just didn't do much, is all. She mostly just laid on the bed, though I had asked to simply speak with her." Alcides frowned some at that.
"I'm very sorry to hear this, sir," he said. He moved to reach into his pocket, pulling his money bag out and offering a refund. Oh… shit. This was not a good sign.
Lucrèce had taken a space along the wall to look out among the groups of men and slaves, but his attention was sent back to Micheal and friends when Alcides approached. He leaned forward a bit to hear better. And if possible, his frown deepened. The man hadn’t said he wanted to talk too, had he? Lucrèce couldn’t remember, and it only made him more panicked, though he tried his best not to let it show. A faint flush on his expression, and his shoulders tense. Shit.
"She is still learning, sir, but there are many good ladies here who would love to talk with you," Alcides continued. He offered Micheal his money, which the other man accepted.
"If you say so…" Alcides dipped his head, moving from the man's side to look at Lucrèce. He had murder in his eyes, walking calmly to the other's side to hid this from patrons.
"Let's talk, shall we?" He said, taking Lucrèce by his elbow.
Lucrèce swallowed anxiously, tugging back instinctively at the hand on his elbow. Even if he was too rattled to give it his best effort, especially in front of everyone else. “He told me he didn’t want to do anything, not talk,” he attempted defensively. It was only a slight lie. And one with only a slight chance of working, at that, he was well aware. “He should have told me if he wanted a conversation.”
Alcides tightened his grip, painfully so on Lucrèce's elbow when the man tried to pull away, walking towards the door to the room next to the one they were currently in. He waited until the door was closed behind them before punching Lucrèce in the stomach.
"It doesn't matter," he said, furious at the loss of profit. "It's your job to make him comfortable and to do whatever the hell it takes to butter him up and make him happy. You don't fucking matter in this equation. Any of the others could take your place."
Lucrèce clenched his jaw while they walked out of the room. Wincing slightly at the pain in his elbow. He’d already started thinking of how to retort to any of Alcides’ insults, until they all crumbled away like dust in the wind when Alcides punched his stomach. He would have yelped if the breath hadn’t been stricken out of him, and if he wasn’t fighting to keep himself from vomiting. The pain was sharp, emphasized by the bruises already on his abdomen.
"You're to do your job, before I sell you to the highest bidder and hope to get my money back. I doubt you'll survive a day with the man with the most money." Alcides grabbed Lucrèce by his hair, forcing him to look up at the man who owned him.
"Or perhaps I'll turn you into my own personal fuck doll, see the money I lent as simply to purchase you."
Lucrèce stared indignantly up at Alcides, but only because the man had him by his hair. He silently cursed his lips for quivering, even just the slightest bit. It couldn’t be helped. Still, he forced his expression to pull back in a sneer. Though it was more of a disgusted wince than anything. He could take his chances being sold, maybe that was his way out. He could convince Leander to bring enough money to win the auction.
“I’d rather take my chances anywhere that isn’t with you,” he spat weakly.
"See, you saying things like that just make me lean to keeping you for myself," Alcides said, smirking some. He pulled Lucrèce closer to himself.
"Perhaps I should get Rafael to take you to my room for me later again." Alcides ran his finger over Lucrèce's jaw, smirking still.
This was what he had wanted earlier in the day: safety from strangers. Stability within the confines of one person no matter how uncomfortable. But in this moment he felt nothing of his previous wishes. This wasn’t stability, this was his heart racing and half his mind wanting to have him burst into tears while the other half wanted him to fight. There was no logic in any of this, not when his head flooded with pain.
Still, that didn’t stop him from trying to talk his way out of this. “You’ll lose your chance of ever getting another thousand from my brother, or more.” My brother, the words slipped out before he could think of why it might be a bad idea.
Alcides couldn't help but smile at Lucrèce's struggles, pulling him closer. He paused at the mention of 'brother,' though before laughing.
"Your brother, now?" He said, amusement in his eyes. "I never thought he'd be the kind of man who would want to violate his own brother, but here we are. I don't quite care if I don't get that much from him. He's a regular, he gives me plenty of money as it is. Besides, I wouldn't have to give you any ideas of escaping."
Lucrèce winced as if the words physically hurt him. And combined with the touches, the smell of Alcides’ breath, it did hurt him. Even so the pain felt like singular haze at this point, not so easy to ignore. “He…” he struggled for his own words through the strained breaths he took, “he’ll tell our family if he doesn’t see me again. You don’t want to risk your whole business, just for me?”
"He knows better than to snitch. He knows what happens to those who try. You'd be surprised, the people I have in my pocket. Enough money can make anyone turn the other cheek. Besides, it's not like you're important enough for anyone to care. Though, I suppose I could always let him see you on my arm." Alcides ran his thumb over Lucrèce's cheek, smirking some.
"For tonight, though, I'm going to have you wait in my room for me. Your precious brother already left, after all~"
Lucrèce wrinkled his nose up in disgust, and particularly in offense. Of course he was important enough people would care. Like his family, his brothers, his father, even if he wasn’t very essential to the family lineage. Right?
He jerked his head away from Alcides’ hand. He’d begun to tremble against his own will, growing angry almost as much as he was scared. “Leander isn’t like that,” he attempted, though deep down he knew it was futile. And maybe not even entirely true either. “He has human decency. More than you.”
Alcides let Lucrèce think he'd be allowed to just pull away like that for a moment, then grabbed him by the back of the hair and forcing his head close to Alcides.
"Oh, really? He's taken quite the liking to Daren, you know. I'm sure if I gave him… free, time with him, Leander would be more than happy to give up dealing with you." The word 'free' seemed to lodge in Alcides throat, and he thought he would be sick at it. He wasn't though, which was good.
"Or perhaps if I pulled Daren out, sold him even, or threatened to do so, your darling brother would show just how much decency he lacks."
Lucrèce thought about spitting in Alcides’ face, then decided against it a second later. In such position the consequences likely wouldn’t be good for him. For the moment it seemed his best weapon were his words. He breathed heavily through his nose, audibly in and out, considering how to respond to Alcides’ comments—he hated them, however true they might be. He’d never been close with Leander, and there was a lot he didn’t know about his brother’s morals. “What, did he tell you that? You don’t give the impression of someone who’d give a shit get to know anyone. Let alone him.”
"I take great care to know the people who spend their money here," Alcides burred. He held Lucrèce a bit closer, running a hand over his cheek before patting it perhaps a bit too hard. He was enjoying this, it seemed, toying with Lucrèce.
Lucrèce shut his eyes tightly. Not out of indignation, or outright refusal, but the earliest flickers of resignation. The small seeds planted in his mind had begun growing, the first leaf poking up out of the dirt. There wasn’t anything he could say or do to change anything, not yet at least. “Please…” he whispered, his jaw trembling under Alcides’ hand, “Let me go. I’m so tired.”
Alcides eyes only seemed to light up more as Lucrèce finally started down the path he was on. He'd keep pushing, and pushing, taking Lucrèce right to the edge and then over it. He'd be the one there to piece him back together, after all.
"Go to my room, and you can rest," the man cooed. "A proper rest, how does that sound?"
A proper rest, that did sound nice. Lucrèce nodded, just the smallest up and down movements of his chin, before he opened his eyes again. “Fine. That sounds fine,” he reluctantly sighed. Or rather it would be fine if he didn’t know what would happen when Alcides returned to his room. He couldn’t help but grimace at just the thought of it.
Alcides hummed softly, holding Lucrèce to himself for a moment more before letting him pull away.
"Rafael will help you clean the makeup from your face, then, and you may change into your rest clothes, and then you're to go to my bed, understood." The man smirked some, pressing a kiss to Lucrèce's lips. He snapped his fingers, Rafael appearing to come take Lucrèce's arm and lead him away.
Lucrèce tensed beneath the kiss, too drained to find the energy to fight against it. It ruffled his feathers a bit, though, and he wiped the back of his hand across his mouth while Rafael led him away. Wiping off the makeup, rest clothes, and a comfortable place on a bed sounded lovely on the surface level. But knowing who was offering them dispelled any comfort he took from it. It sickened him even more so to think he was gratefully accepting them.
Rafael led Lucrèce to the changing room, helping him sit down in front of the washbasin. He dipped the cloth in the water, moving to begin washing the makeup and paint from Lucrèce's face. He was as silent as ever, of course, not looking Lucrèce directly in the eyes as he helped the other prepare for his rest.
