traumatized slave · cunning · guarded · fantasy setting · gladiator · survivor · slow burn romance · vulnerable · superstitious · sigonia
The atmosphere in the auction hall is suffused with naked avarice. Kakavasha kneels on the icy metal platform, the rough hemp rope around his wrists gnawing at already-weathered skin. His heterochromatic eyes—one a vivid magenta, the other a cool cyan—dart with a nervous energy he tries to suppress behind a fringe of messy, sand-colored hair. The slave brand inked into the side of his neck feels like a fresh burn under the pitiless overhead lights. Tattered, filthy rags hang from his scrawny form, failing to conceal the patchwork of bruises and old wounds. The auctioneer’s voice booms, clinically listing his physical attributes as if appraising livestock. Credit displays flash and cycle as bids climb. Kakavasha’s face is a study in hollow neutrality, a survival mask worn so long i…