On the way to the black market I met up with Shiona and we walked the rest of the way together while we talked about what we’d both found out.

“Wandless magic was it? I don’t think I’ll need it since I can already use a lot of it with my skills, but Cathy and Red will definitely love it.”

“Yeah, and what did you guys find?”

“Well, I… I got stuck in the fiction section…”

Shiona gives off an apologetic laughter as she embarrassedly scratches the back of her head.

*sigh* “Don’t worry about it”.

* * * *

Half an hour later we’re still following the map in the pamphlet, a little while ago we got a little peckish so I took out some meat skewers from the inventory and we ate them.

“This should be the place. Unless we just suck at following maps...”

“Well we’ve done alright so far right?”

“True.”

In front of us stood a very large man, both large as in muscular and large as in fat, he somehow pulled of both and combined them into a very menacing look as he stood next to an otherwise unassuming door in a full black suit with pointy sunglasses, a bald head and a double chin.

“Five gold to enter.” Says the bouncer.

At first I feel a bit reluctant considering I just used two iridescent coins for the wandless magic stuff, however when I remember just how much money we actually have those worries disappear completely.

Once the bouncer takes the ten coins (Both I and Shiona have to keep ourselves from laughing by the way, the man’s body really doesn't lend itself to a crouched down position) he gestures for us to enter the door next to him.

*creak*

Right inside the door there’s a spiral staircase that goes downwards, and as we descend it the wooden walls around us are replaced with stone, and when we descend fully we pass another bouncer and find ourselves inside a small room with brick walls and two doors, one on either side of the room.

“First time here? Head through the door on the right to get to the auction hall and the door on the left to get to the slave merchants. The auction tends to have slaves that more people want but they’re more expensive.”

After thanking the bouncer I prepare to go to the auctions, however I get surprised when Shiona instead walks through the left door to the so called “Unconventional” slaves, and once inside we’re greeted by a small fat and round man with a wide grin who’s rubbing his hands together.

“Is this the slave shop?”

“Yes! Would you like a tour or do you already know what you want yes!”

“We’d like someone who can take care of themselves in a fight please.”

“Yes yes! Follow me yes!” Says the weird man, his grin growing wider.

We walk past a bunch of half covered cages as we follow the man and eventually stop as we arrive at a couch and the man asks us to sit down.

“You say you want someone who can fight yes! But there are many roles to fit that position, yes, so we need to know more yes!”

“...Right… Well we would like someone who fights close range, we already have someone who kind of uses magic and someone who… Kind of uses magic....”

“I see yes! Brother!”

“Yes brother?”

Out from the mess of cages comes another small fat grinning man who’s face looks exactly like the first.

“Please keep these two company while I find the slaves, yes!”

“Yes? Cookies anyone?”

A bit caught off guard by the question it takes us a bit to answer, however the man takes out a small box and plate from his clothes and starts arranging chocolate chip cookies on the plate.

‘Holy shit! Calm down Plush, play it cool, play it cool damn it!’

“Excuse me, do you know where we could buy some of this chocolate?”

“Chocolate? Yes?” Asks the man.

“Err, the brown things in the cookies.”

“Yes? Sir means raisins yes?”

When I heard that I blanked out as I decided I didn’t want the cookies anymore, and soon the other merchant comes back.

“I’m back brother! Yes!”

“Yes yes?”

The second merchant gives us each a cookie before he puts the rest back in the box and walks away.

“I have gathered the slaves that fit the description yes! Please follow me yes!”

We follow the merchant yet again, trying our hardest not to start saying yes as much as he, and soon we enter a room with a huge crowd of beastkin.

“It was still very broad yes! These are everyone that fits yes!”

“How are there so many slaves? I can’t imagine a single town can produce or hold this many… Yes?”

The mans grin briefly changes to a smirk when he hears me say the magic word ‘yes’ but he still answers the question.

“Yes yes! Our boss is very good at teleportation magic yes! He made artifacts for us so we are connected to every other branch of our company at once yes! If you see anyone you want but don’t have the money or time you can buy the same slave in any other city yes!”

‘Wow, I’ll have to tell the guild about this, maybe we could even make some of those artifacts ourselves and use in the guild.’

“Err, are there any rabbitkin?” Asks Shiona, surprising both me and the yes!-man.

“Yes! I had them stand in the back since usually only men want rabbit-kin yes! All rabbit-kin please come forwards and others step back yes!”

After the large group of slaves finish shuffling around there’s a large number of both half-rabbits and demi-rabbits standing in front of us.

“Only demi-rabbits please, and preferably brown fur.”

“Yes! Will demi-hares do as well?”

“Yeah.”

“Yes yes! It’s good that customer knows what they want yes! You heard her yes!”

The rabbit kin group shuffles around yet again while I try and think what she could be intending with this.

“...Are any of them martial artists?”

“Artists yes! I thought customer wanted a fighter yes!”

“...It means someone who fights with their bare hands… Or paws…”

“Ah yes! You, you, you... and you yes! The rest stand back yes!”

In the end there are four light brown humanoid rabbits of various sizes standing in front of us,

one was as small as me, one the size of Shiona, one was as tall as an adult human and the last was as tall as an elf.

“... May I talk with them?”

“Yes yes! You four, follow us yes! The rest, brother will soon be here to take you back yes!”

The rest of the slaves seemed let down by this while the four who followed us were looking very nervous and we could hear someone say “Yes yes?” Some distance away.

“...Shiona?”

“Yes? ...Shit! Now I’m doing it too...”

“Calm down, it’s just… My memory may be failing me, but if I remember right, back home you used to practice judo right?”

“...Yeah.”

Shiona sounds a bit sheepish when she answers, leading me to believe I already have the answer for the question I was about to ask, but I ask anyway.

“And if I remember right you got a small good luck charm from the group you were training with, right?”

“...”

“Well?”

“Yes…”

“Right. And lastly; I believe that good luck charm, was in the shape of a light brown rabbit thing wearing a judo gi?”

“...Yes…”

“You’re not doing this just so you can teach a rabbit judo, are you…?”

“... … Yes…”

*sigh* “Alright, just… Try to pick someone that’s not a crazed psychopath who’ll try to kill us in our sleep, okay? Even if it’s the only way to get a judo rabbit.”

“Yeah…”

The yes!-man led us towards a door which led into a small room with two chairs and a table, Shiona sat inside and the four slaves took turns entering and talking to her before coming back outside.

“Alright, I’ve decided, The tall hare-kin girl.”

“Yes yes! twenty gold please yes!”

When Shiona had decided to go with the tall one all of the rabbit-kin were surprised, the three shorter ones used to have a gloating smile on their faces while the tall one had just looked depressed, as though she was certain she was the only one we didn’t have any reason to pick, however afterwards all four gasped in surprise and shock while the yes!-man kept going relatively professionally.

“Twenty? Isn’t that a little low?” I ask, however I still take out twenty coins.

“Yes, most people buy rabbit-kin due to their nightly prowers yes, but not many men want to be outmatched in masculinity by a woman yes!”

“And so you haven’t been able to sell her, alright, I got it.”

I give the yes!-man the money and he hands us a scroll.

“Payment accepted yes yes! Please leave your fingerprints on this scroll to finish the procedure yes!”

We both look at our hands/wings and see that neither of us actually has fingerprints.

“Yes yes! The fingerprints aren’t needed if you can pour a drop of blood on the contract yes!”

I hold the contract up for Shiona to pour a drop of her blood, she does this by biting her lip.

“Yes yes! Now for you?”

“I… I don’t have any blood… but isn’t it fine this way though?”

“... Very well, but please be aware that the slave magic the rabbit-kin is under only makes her unable to harm those who are on the contract yes!”

“I think that’s fine.”

“Yes yes! Then please grab the contract miss yes!”

When Shiona grabs the rolled up contract it burst into green flames before disappearing.

“Procedure completed yes! If you want to transfer ownership of the slave you must find someone proficient in slave magic yes!”

“Alright, thanks… We’ll- we’ll go now…”

“Yes yes!”

The three of us are then guided to the exit and back into the hall with the bouncer, and we then run up the stairs as fast as possible, just to get away from the yes!-man even a second sooner.

“We *gasp* We can do introductions later, for now let’s find and inn… *gasp*”

After Shiona catches her breath (She’s not used to running with her legs) we look at the pamphlets again and make our way to a nearby inn, once there we rent one room and all head up there.

-=Shiona POV=-

“Okay, I’ve caught my breath and calmed down a bit, so now introductions!”

We’re currently sitting in our room in the inn and Shiona finally recovered enough to do introductions.

Or rather Plush was inside the book of knowledge and preparing food while Cy was in his body and Lizz was flying around the room.

“This little fairy looking fellow is Elizabeth, one of Plush’s familiars, and this is Cy, his other familiar, currently Cy is controlling Plush’s body while he’s doing something else.”

“Hello!”

[Hi.]

“You can do that with familiars…? Ah- Yes h-hello!”

‘How cute, she was so caught off guard by Plush that she wasn’t able to say ‘hi’ properly.’

“Plush himself is currently preparing something so you can meet him later, as for me I’m Shiona, your master in two ways!”

“Two?”

“Yup! Both since I legally own you and since you will be my student in a martial art!”

“Marital art? We were taught the theory of how to satisfy men back in the black market, does that count master?” Asks the giant rabbit-kin while tilting her head.

“No no no!” I shout while waving my arms. “Not marital, martial, it’s a way of fighting with your bare hands!”

“Ah… Err...” The hare-kin is mumbling her words while looking at my wings.

“I know what you’re thinking, “Are you daft? Like hell you can teach someone that if you don’t even have the hands to learn it yourself!”, right?”

“No!” Shouts the rabbit-kin in return. “I would never think something so mean about master!”

“....Ah.”

‘I was expecting her to sheepishly agree, not adamantly refute, I haven’t practiced anything for this outcome!’

*ahem* “R-right, well, it’s nice that you don’t think that way.”

‘Shit, I don’t know what to say! I lost all my momentum!’

[Plush says the food is ready so he’ll come back out.]

‘Oh thank god!’

And right then Plush’s body changed back from the brown and black colors it has when Cy is in control to the normal purple and red as Plush himself comes back out, he greets us and introduces himself to… to…

“Oh yeah, we’ve told you our names, but what’s yours?”

“R-right, My name is Ronnie, Ronnie Bits. Sorry about that, I’ve been in that black market for so long I… I kind of forgot how to talk to people…”

‘To be fair I kind of understand her, I mean I certainly didn’t do much better when Plush first found me.’

“That’s fine, don’t worry about it, now let’s eat and then we’ll go to bed.”

Ronnie looks around in the room for a few seconds.

*sigh* “Master, can I at least have a blanket? The floor gets very cold.”

“What are you talking about? You’ll be sleeping with us in the bed, Plush and I only take up half the bed anyway.”

And before Ronnie can refuse Plush shoves a plate of food towards her, and it seems she’s unable to hold herself back any more as she scarfs down the food and then falls asleep on the bed due to food coma without even remembering that she was trying to not sleep in the same bed as us, Plush and I then lay down next to her and also fall asleep.

* * * *

-=Ronnie POV=-

“-ng”

‘Munya…’

“It’s morning”

‘Suu…’

“Ronnie, get up, it’s morning.”

‘...’

*sigh*

*SPLASH*

“AH!”

“There you go, I would’ve expected you to be a bit earlier to rise, what with how you were so adamant about not sleeping in the same bed as us and all.”

“Ah! Crap! Sorry!”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry, I’m the one that told you to sleep there right? It wouldn’t make any sense if I suddenly admonished you for doing something I told you to.”

“Yeah, so calm down and relax Ronnie, we’ll depart for Gavely after we have breakfast, here.”

Half-master then pulls a large plate of pancakes out of the much too small pouch on his bag and puts it down on the table inside the room and they both sit down and eat.

*sniff sniff*

‘Aw man, that smells delicious…’

As I was sitting on the edge of the bed, still half asleep, I was woken up by the sweet smell of pancakes and I found myself salivating as I stared at the open chair at the table.

“What are you waiting for? If you don’t hurry up there won’t be any left you know.”

“But-! I went through training before the slave merchant put us up for sale! I know a slave isn’t allowed to eat at the same table as their master…”

“Oh pish posh, if that’s how you’re going to be then I order you to come join us for breakfast! ...Well, as long as you’re not lactose intolerant…”

“...What?”

“Okay, scratch that, just come here and eat will you?”

The person who taught us how slaves are treated and how they should respond to that treatment told me that this was something that I shouldn’t ever do even if my master told me to, however the smell of the pancakes and the growling of my stomach caused a temporary lapse in judgement as I found myself walking from the bed to the table and sitting down next to my master and half-master.

*chomp*

“!”

“It’s good right?”

I’m unable to answer master’s question as I start shoveling pancakes into my mouth, so without the self restraint to stop eating I start nodding my head instead.

*hack* *cough*

“Are you okay!?”

In hindsight it probably wasn’t a good idea to violently shake my head around as I was eating in an already messy manner, however that didn’t deter me from continuing and putting myself even closer to death’s door.

‘So good!’ I thought as I savoured every moment of this divine treat which I’d never tasted before while tears fell from my eyes.

As the final piece left the fork and entered my stomach I leaned back in the chair and let out a hefty sigh in appreciation for the meal.

“Alright, let’s go.” Says half-master suddenly.

“What? You can’t mean we go now after we just ate!? I don’t have any proper education yet even I know that it’s a health risk to hike after you eat so much your stomach bulges!”

Master and half-master look at me, confusion evident in their eyes until their sight fell from my face to my stomach and they go ‘Ah’.

“Well to be fair it was probably her first real meal in months, maybe even years.”

“Well yeah, but still.”

“Also you just make too damn good food to resist, even I find it hard sometimes, despite knowing better.”

‘Wait, half-master made this!? To continue calling you half-master would be a true sin! But… What else could I call him…?’

While I was deep in thought of such important matters master and her husband were cleaning up the plates we’d used and preparing everything for departure.

“Oh yeah, here.”

Master’s husband handed me some folded together white cloth.

“Shiona asked Cy to make you this, it’s the uniform for what Shiona will be teaching you on the way to Gavely, put it on and see if it fits.”

I walk into the bathroom (Oh the marvels of a high-class in!) and changed from the slave robes to the uniform and went back out.

The new clothes were a pair of white trousers and a white coat with a white belt to hold the coat closed.

It fit well.

It fit scarily well.

“It looks good on you.” Commented master.

“Thanks for the clothes master.”

Once I came back outside the bathroom the entire room had already been cleaned, leaving nothing for me to take care.

That in turn made me feel weird, a master cleaning up instead of their slave? It went against everything I’d been taught.

‘But then again so does most of what master and her husband have done so far, I hardly ever know what to say around them when they keep shattering my expectations.’

“Alright, we’re done here so let’s go.”

Master and her husband then put on their respective bags as we left the inn, and just like on the way inside I had to crouch under every doorway to not hit my head.

As we walk towards the town exit I ask master something.

“Master, are we not going away from the stables?”

“Stables? We’re walking to Gavely so why would we need to visit the stables?”

“B-but master! Please reconsider! Even as a slave I heard many people talk about the dangerous monsters on the road to Gavely!”

“But if they’re so dangerous, what difference would a horse make? The horse would just get killed.”

“The monsters may be dangerous but they’re slower than a horse, masters please!”

“Don’t worry about it Ronnie, I think we can handle a few monsters, now come along already”

Only now did I realize that I had stopped walking and I started catching back up with them again.

Another thing I realized was that maybe I shouldn’t have been so happy to have been bought yesterday.

* * * *

“Here, this will do.” Says master when we reach a small clearing.

“Master, will we be setting up camp here?” I ask, a bit confused why we would stop when we haven’t even walked enough for another meal.

“No, but this is where the lessons begin.”

“Lessons?”

“I told you I was going to teach you a martial art right? That is why you have those clothes you know.”