Lucrèce brought his attention back to the present once he saw Marian leaving, as he heard the final words of their conversation ending with him as the subject. He curled his knees a bit tighter to his chest. Narrowed gaze at Alcides’ back, pushing a snarl since his face wasn’t in view. He alternated his glare between both Alcides and Rafael. The highest degree of anger pointed at Alcides rather than a slave who had no choice in the matter. “Cage?” He set his jaw. “No. No cages.”
Alcides laughed loudly as Lucrèce tried to demand he didn't go in the cage. Rafael left the room, leaving them alone. Alcides turned on his heel, foot coming up- it wasn't hard to imagine what came next, as he kicked Lucrèce in the gut, the same area he had punched the man before.
"You have no right to try to tell me what to do-" He said, pulling his leg back to give Lucrèce another kick.
"Then again, you don't have any at all." He laughed deeply, his grin and gleam in his eyes not matching the anger in his actions and words.
Lucrèce seized around the first kick, and yelped, followed by a low groan escaping from his throat. Then after taking a moment to recover, opened his mouth to argue. The second kick took him by surprise, and it took him even longer to recover. He groaned again. More painfully, as he doubled over to rest his forehead on the floor. His arms wrapped around his stomach and the gathering bruises. “Still more than you,” he answered breathlessly. His words muffled by the floor beneath him.
Alcides laughed tartly at Lucrèce's words, his foot coming up to dig into the man's back.
"Oh, quite cheeky, are we? Rafael used to be too, but it's hard to do without a tongue, isn't it. Too mad I know you're going to need yours~" Alcides pulled his foot away as Rafael returned to the room. The clothes he brought were threadbare, and would end up being much too loose on Lucrèce, but they were clothes.
"Dress it," Alcides instructed, pulling away. Rafael bowed, moving to kneel next to Lucrèce and help him up so he could get his shirt on.
Lucrèce suppressed a whimper at the foot digging into his back. It didn’t hurt nearly as much as his other injuries, but that heaped with everything else, it was almost too much to bear without showing that he was affected. He responded to the taunt with nothing more than a half-hearted scowl, hidden by his face pressed to the ground.
Lucrèce groaned again with protest as the man helped him up. Now being upright, he swayed. Shrugging into the shirt Rafael brought for him. Compared to being bare, the albeit threadbare coverings felt warm, and welcome.
Rafael made sure Lucrèce didn't fall over as he dressed the other, helping him into the pants as well. They were too loose, so Rafael tied them tightly around Lucrèce's waist to keep them up. Alcides didn't say a word, beginning to walk out of the room. Rafael moved to wrap an arm around Lucrèce, helping him up to his feet to follow after their master.
"Let's hope this is enough to keep you from freezing," Alcides remarked with a smirk, not looking back.
"Even if you were free, it would be a waste of money for you to die so soon."
Lucrèce gratefully leaned against Rafael for the duration walk. His pride a bit bruised, but it was better than trying to both walk and stay upright all on his own. The new clothes felt…off, much too big, and he wondered why they couldn’t have just gotten him his own well-fitting clothes. At the very least his undershirt and breeches.
“Money?” Lucrèce attempted a scoff under his breath, but it wasn’t very fierce. “As if taking me actually costed you anything.”
"The money I'll be making off you," Alcides corrected. "No one is just a slave, you'll have your purpose same as the rest. You're meant to pay off a debt that is owed to me, and I fully intend on making it all back plus interest." Alcodes chuckled deeply, head moving back slightly with the sound.
He led the two down a flight of stairs, the stone beneath cold and steadily more damp as they went.
Lucrèce clenched his jaw again, which was beginning to ache thanks to the stress of the past several hours. “What exact…purpose?” He asked, entirely not expecting an answer. Particularly since Alcides seemed not to bother answering any other pertinent questions of his. He shivered at the chill in the air as they went farther down. The cold, damp stone against his feet.
"You haven't figured that out yet? And here I was thinking you could actually be smart. I've given you plenty of hints, but it seems I'll have to spell it out for you." Alcides made his way to the bottom of the stairway, the sound of rushing water growing louder as they went.
"But then again, why bother? You'll know by tomorrow, after all." Alcides laughed as he turned to Rafael and Lucrèce.
The cage Lucrèce had been told he was going in rested on a ledge, water rushing by below. A chain was attached to the top, and it wasn't hard to guess what was going to happen.
"Put it in," Alcides instructed Rafael. He bowed some, leading Lucrèce.
"I would suggest keeping still," Alcides said as he watched. "These chains have been rusted for some time, and have been known to break."
Lucrèce had caught the hints. They stuck to his mind like a fly to tree sap, and yet he tried his best to ignore them. Play ignorant. Give himself the benefit of the doubt. He didn’t dare reply to that, particularly when it was already ordered that Rafael put him in the rather precarious looking cage. While it was cold, while it was a constant threat to drop him into the water, at least he would be alone—hopefully.
He pursed his lips as he ducked into the cage, tense with discomfort. He missed his own bed.
The cage was barely big enough for Lucrèce to sit upright in, let alone stand. Rafael closed the door and locked it, moving over to the lever by the side. He started to wind the cage up, the chains groaning before giving a slight jerk and pulling Lucrèce up. In a moment, he was off the ledge, hanging over the water. Alcides watched all of this with his characteristic smirk, humming some.
"Try to rest, hm? You've got a long day ahead of you tomorrow with your… training~"
Lucrèce only grunted in reply, pulling his legs up against himself, feeling small. A tight frown tugged at the edge of his lips. He rested his chin there on his knees, shut his eyes, and tried his best to forget everything about the entire day. The attempt was rather difficult when he couldn’t even ignore the sensation of swinging. The elevation. The sounds of the water rushing below. “Mngh, I’ll try my best,” he muttered.
Alcides barely caught Lucrèce's words now that he was over the water, chuckling some to himself.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be in a bed soon enough~" The man let out one last cruel laugh before turning, going back up the stairs. Rafael checked over the chains once before turning and hurrying after Alcides, the only light being taken with him from the dungeon.
(Timeskip?)
(I'm thinking just before daybreak the next morning for a bit of scene-setting before the real meaty stuff happens)
(Also I know it's been pretty clear what's happening with Lucrèce, but I'd still like to ask if you're okay with it? I won't want to rp anything that actually happens during the things, but I get if you want to change it to something else)
(Yeah that works!)
(And I’m thinking the same, I’d be alright with the implications and before and after, but not actually writing through the scenes. Thanks for asking!)
(Great! Want me to just do it or do you want to write something about Lucrèce's night?)
(And you're welcome, I know some of the people I rp with prefer to avoid these subjects aha)
(Could you do it pls? I’m not sure what I’d write for his night, my poor boy’s just really sad and cold)
(Yeahh that’s completely understandable aha)
(Sure thing! I feel bad for Lucrèce, ngl, he don't deserve this)
Alcides was up in the early hours of the morning, dealing with the management of his household and the preparations that needed to be done before Lucrèce was brought up. He hummed, going down his mental checklist. The baths were ready, as well as the clothes and the makeup. With one final nod to himself, he addressed Rafael.
"Go get the goods, hm? All of this would be for nothing without it, after all." Rafael bowed once, turning and heading down the stairs. He was silent as he looked at Lucrèce, going to the opposite wall and getting a long metal hook down. He reached out with it, snagging one of the bars of the cage. Using the other hand, he started to lower to chain and pull Lucrèce in with a skill honed from years of doing so.
(nooo)
Lucrèce didn’t get much sleep for the entirety of the night. Uncomfortable, and shivering in the cold. At most, he slipped into a sleepy stupor for him to at least rest his eyes. He wasn’t sure how to gauge the time in the darkness, nor did he know how long he had been in a haze when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He opened his eyes, then, watching Rafael walk around, unable to keep himself from startling when the hook caught onto one of the bars. He braced himself as the cage lowered towards the ground, fighting against the vertigo.
Rafael carefully sat the cage down, undoing his hook with one hand still and putting it away before making his way over. He unlocked the cage, reaching in to help Lucrèce out. The man didn't react to much, just doing as he was told- get Lucrèce upstairs, quickly. Before they were both punished. The slave looped his arm under Lucrèce's shoulders, putting most of the weight on himself as he brought them up the stairs.
Lucrèce wavered once he was on his feet, suppressing a nauseated groan. He gratefully leaned on Rafael for support while they walked. Worried he might stumble to once side or the other, at least he had some sense of stability. Some help. He kept blinking, particularly the farther they went upstairs, trying to rid himself of blurry vision. The light offending his eyes when he’d already gotten accustomed to the darkness.
Rafael kept his eyes on the stairs ahead of them, holding Lucrèce close to his side and making sure the other didn't fall behind. He went quickly, not wanting to keep Alcides waiting. It wouldn't be good for either of them.
Alcides was waiting by the stairway exit, looking over as Rafael and Lucrèce came out.
"Get it to the baths, mm? The others are waiting, after all." He stepped forward, taking Lucrèce's chin in his hand.
"After all, we can't keep the customers waiting~"
Lucrèce narrowed his gaze at Alcides. A feeble attempt at a glare, though not very successful. He jerked his chin out of the man’s hold, pulling his lips back in a rueful scowl. “Let them wait,” he muttered almost inaudibly, “however much bathing I get won’t cover up the bruises you gave me.” The one on his head, mostly covered by his hair, but there were also the two developing splotches spattered over his abdomen.
(Ahh why is this just. So. Appealing to me? Swim you’ve done it again, you’ve accidentally awakened something in me.)
(It’s the morbid curiosity for me, I think lmaoo. Also here’s a complimentary artbreeder rendition of Lucrèce)
(I do my best aha, I'm trying something New)
(And I love him so much ;w;)
"Oh, I don't care about those," Alcides said, laughing. Laughing at how Lucrèce was trying to tell him what to do, trying to hold onto power.
"If anything, you'll be coming back to me with more. All I care about is that pretty face." Alcides moved forward, grabbing Lucrèce by the back of the hair and forcing him forward and out of Rafael's support.
"And if you keep pushing me, I'll make sure the customers know that as long as they don't ruin that, they can do whatever they want to you. After all, you really aren't that expensive to replace, only a few gold pieces. The ones who'll be using you will be able to cover easily if there was an… accident."
((Yeah I feel like all of Swim’s rps have sort of like that watching a car crash and you want to look away and you should look away but you can’t feeling if that makes sense))
(yeahh that pretty much sums it up lolol)
Lucrèce went quiet then. Though in his mind less of acquiescence, and more defiant silence. That was how he worked. A man of few words. And yet however much he wanted to anchor his confidence in that, if he was being honest with himself and the two other men with with him, he was just a scared twenty-year-old. Barely a man.
He set his jaw again, legs weak and faintly shaking while Alcides held him by his hair.
At the last couple comments he wasn’t sure how to react, so he just squinted. Too stubborn to let it show on his face how shaken it made him. Not that expensive? The son of a noble, someone would inevitably come looking forward him. Right?
