fiery;;

Hugo laughed morosely at Connor’s phrasing, stifling it as quickly as he could so as not to appear as if he was laughing at the poor thing’s awful circumstances. “I haven’t, no… but given your description of him, I’m not entirely sure I’m eager to meet him. I’ll try and keep my distance if I can help it.” Even if it didn’t necessarily come as a surprise to hear of escape being a dream for the other, Hugo’s brow rose at such an honest admission. “Is that… possible?” His tone was tentative, borderline apprehensive, as if merely discussing it was a surefire death sentence. “Would Lucien allow it?” He couldn’t see that happening if what Connor had previously divulged had anything to do with it. The nephilim’s expression switched to a more solemn display as he contemplated the question that followed. “I’d hesitate to call any of them truly terrible – some seem to be entirely devoid of empathy or compassion as a result of what they are – but my experiences with Eros and Hunter weren’t exactly… comforting ones.” Heaving a heavy sigh, Hugo ran a hand through his hair as if to soothe himself against the horror of recollection. “But there have been some good ones to make up for it. Mateo, Roland, Enzo– they made the entire experience of being rented not as awful as it could've been.”

"Yeah, I would.. definitely stay away if you can. You might be in luck though, you don't seem like you would be his type, although I'm sure types don't really matter when it comes to scientific experiments," Connor chuckled, giving a little smirk. He was only half-joking. "Not sure if it's possible, and fuck no he wouldn't allow it, but I'm not planning on asking for his help," the Valkyrie admitted, still not sure how he was going to escape but he would.. eventually. A soft, sympathetic look crossed Connor's features at the mention of Eros and Hunter; while he hadn't personally come across them before, he'd heard plenty of horror stories. "You survived being rented by those two and still don't think they're truly terrible? You're more understanding than me, that's for sure."

“pretty sure any degree of insanity is a mandatory requirement for those freaks to take their seats,” arnon muttered bitterly as he processed connor’s words. he frowned at the name and tried to pin a face to the name in his mind. he’d done a remarkable job of ignoring the majority of the councilmen, viewing the council only as one repulsive collective evil in his mind up until tiernan’s farce of a trial against him had him quite literally dragged into the castle. “sounds like a prick if you ask me. then again, they all do, so maybe i’m a little biased.” as the questioning was turned, an exasperated huff of breath left the halfling, trailing his fingertips along the wall as they wandered in a feeble attempt to expel a small amount of the discomfort that was always roused within him whenever the subject of tiernan surfaced. “halloran. demented bastard got his ego knocked once by me an’ decided to stage a whole fucking rigged trial so that he could claim ownership. i had a real nice life in town before he decided to ruin everything.” he forced himself to shut up once the last word left him; running his mouth had been and always would be his fatal flaw. “sounds like it’s colossally shit for both of us, huh? or is it, like, different for you? d’you like your overseer or has stockholm syndrome not set in for you yet, either? 's always hard to tell with folks 'round here.”

While Arnon was very right, Lucien was insane in his own mad-doctor type way that low-key did scare Connor, but he was pretty sure he could handle the French councilman given their history. "They are all pricks, but I would assume that's a given considering what they are and what they do," he replied, sighing softly, but mostly in response to their predicament. "Not sure I've actually come across Halloran before, but I've heard of him.. for all the wrong reasons." Connor tried to learn as much about Krovs as he could if he and Khion were going to attempt an escape at some point, so he'd retained quite a lot of information about each of the council members. "Oh god no, no stockholm syndrome yet. I knew Lucien before Krovs so I kind of know.. how to handle him. For the time being. I've not had to be his pet before though, so we'll see how long I can put up with that before I end up snapping. I can clearly tell that stockholm hasn't kicked in for you yet either."

"I'd consider it a compliment." It certainly wasn't an insult. In a place like Krovs, it was probably better as a slave to fly under the radar. The less attention you drew to yourself, particularly with the crueler masters, the better it would be. At the question, the pyromancer shrugged a bit and thought for a second before he responded. "I suppose I just haven't found the right fit yet. I can't claim nearly as many as the masters do, so i have the tendency to be a little pickier." And Merek was very selective about who he let into his room for more than a couple of hours. He followed along quietly behind Connor, letting the other man choose what he wanted, not wanting to influence him. "Very classy." Merek said approvingly with a grin, gesturing for Connor to grab his size. "I can hang onto that until you get claimed, by the way. Better that I hold onto it instead of risking it being in the Undercroft."

If Connor had been there voluntarily and under any other role except a slave, he probably would've been picky about slave choices too. Plus, there was the whole morality, ethical side to it too -- claiming or purchasing a slave was questionable at best, but at least it got them out of the undercroft and away from any potential arsehole masters. "Well, I hope you find your perfect fit soon," Connor chuckled. Speaking of perfect fits, he needed to find his size in the suit he'd picked out. He flicked through the suit pieces until he found his size. "That would be great, thank you. Last thing I need is it getting ruined down there," he said softly with a smile as he headed over to the counter. "Thank you for this. Should I get changed while you pay?"

Maybe Khion was a little paranoid in not wanting to meet in either of their masters' suites. What choice did he really have though? Connor got himself claimed by a councilman and Khion by the identical twin brother of a councilman. Last thing he needed was for anything they said about escaping this place properly to reach either of their ears. So he'd texted Connor asking him to meet outside in the grove where they'd be safer away from prying eyes. Khion arrived a few minutes early dressed in light layers despite the crisp chill of autumn in the air now. He'd always preferred the cold and the dropping temperature only meant a rising increase in his own powers as they drew closer to the brutal Russian winter.

Ever since he'd been claimed, it felt like he'd not really had any proper alone time with Khion. He knew that them being separated was pretty inevitable since they'd ended up with different masters -- albeit crazy twins -- but it did make things a little more difficult. When he got Khion's message, Connor immediately got ready and made his way to the meeting point, being as discreet as he could be so that he wasn't followed.

"I think you'll be alright. As far as I know, you're not exactly their type." Merek reassured Connor, offering him a smile. Very lucky for the slave, really, since he didn't seem like the type to handle being caged in that kind of way too well. He appeared to be handling Krovs alright so far, but the pyromancer didn't really keep up with things that happened in the Undercroft unless if involved him in some way. They entered the store and Merek gave a friendly wave to one of the workers before his attention returned to Connor. "No. I haven't ever had a slave, actually. I'm thinking of changing that at some point maybe." The chief of staff gestured around the store. "Go ahead and look, see if anything catches your eye."

"Is that an insult or a compliment?" Connor asked, his tone making it obvious he was joking. The valkyrie didn't mind flying under the radar, so to speak. It would be easier to plan an escape if he was left alone and not distracted. "Any reason why, or have you just not found the right fit for you yet?" It probably wasn't any of Connor's business, but he was genuinely curious. Once they'd entered the store, Connor started looking around straight away, not needing to be told twice. It had been so long since he'd worn a good suit. He didn't need something too over the top, but an understated, smart suit never went amiss. "How about this one?" the valkyrie asked with a smile, gesturing to a classic black suit, paired with a black shirt underneath.

so long as there was a significant lack of councilmen lurking around, arnon would’ve agreed to go just about anywhere at this point. mulling over the other’s suggestion, arnon pursed his lips into a pout and cocked his head to the side before flashing a bright grin at the stranger. “doesn’t sound too insufferable, i guess. go on, lead the way. might as well take your word for it an’ hope you’re not getting my hopes up.” making a conscious effort to actually try and remember the name provided, arnon silently repeated it to himself a few times. “connor. sweet. not too challenging to remember. i’m arnon. also recently claimed. what leech claimed you? anyone majorly shitty?” as far as making friends with other slaves went, arnon couldn't say he'd had a whole lot of experience given tiernan's decision to keep him hidden away the vast majority of the time, but forcing others to put up with him with help from the force of his personality usually did the trick sufficiently enough.

Connor had taken to exploring the castle where he could when Lucien let him out, which meant he'd found a few places where things were quiet and he could actually get some peace. He smiled and gestured for Arnon to start following him in the direction of the pool, hoping that there wouldn't be anyone else there at that time of the day. "Pleasure to meet you, Arnon," Connor replied, flashing him a friendly smile. "Uh, a councilman, so arguably one of the worst leeches in the castle. Lucien Gaudet. He's a tad insane, so that's somethin' I'm trying to deal with," he explained, wondering if Arnon had actually had the pleasure of meeting the French councilman yet. "How about you?"

Whilst a year wasn’t a terribly long time in the grand scheme of things, in terms of how slowly time seemed to pass within the castle, Hugo could only imagine how gruelling Connor’s time within Krovs’ clutches had been thus far. He tried not to look overly sympathetic towards such a plight – the last thing he wished to do was come off as patronising – but he couldn’t help but let his emotions get the better of him for a moment. His brow rose slightly at the mention of a claim; whilst it seemed self-explanatory enough, Hugo had already managed to deduce that nothing was ever quite as black and white as it seemed when Krovs’ rules and regulations were in effect. “Oh? Is that… going well? The claiming business, I mean? If not, there’s no pressure to elaborate.” Keeping track of the days had become something of a slight challenge; it had seemed a simple enough task at first but after more than a few unfortunate renting experiences, Hugo had found it challenging to remain generally optimistic, never mind keeping track of just how long he’d been kept in relative captivity for. “Not too long, no. A few weeks now, I think? I can’t say for certain, but that feels right. Although… time does seem to pass strangely here. I’m assuming that’s not something you ever really get used to, is it?”

Chuckling at the other's question and the slight apprehension behind the tone, Connor just nodded a little. "As good as it can, I suppose. I'm still alive, although I'm not sure how long that'll last. I don't know if you've had the pleasure of meeting Lucien Gaudet yet, but he's a little.. unstable." Unstable was an understatement, in all honesty, but Connor liked to think he could handle himself when it came to the French councilman. "Unfortunately, no. I just try to forget about how long it's been and just try and focus on getting the fuck out.. but not entirely sure that I'm ever going to be successful in that," Connor explained. "You experienced anyone truly terrible yet?"

( @fieryxconnor )

Going back down into the undercroft wasn't something Connor did usually, but when he'd had a little disagreement with Lucien, he found himself escaping down there. He had no idea how long he had before his master sought him out again, but he figured he could just have a moment to himself in the common room before he was hauled back to the French councilman again.

Dutch shook his head at the apology, didn't think it was entirely necessary considering he clearly wasn't one of the masters. He'd come to find out that they rarely apologized for things, especially for something like this. "It's alright, just surprised me a little." He gave a soft chuckle as he neared the other. He wouldn't have minded some company, no offense to the horses but having someone that could talk back to him was always nice. "Oh yeah, stay as long as you'd like to, I don't mind the company." He'd always offer a place for any of the slaves were they to find him here, he could only imagine what their life was like within the castle.

A soft smile crossed Connor's features when the other agreed that he could stay, the valkyrie moving a little closer so he could see the horses properly. "Yeah, sorry about that," Connor chuckled, approaching one of the horses and giving its velvety muzzle a soft stroke. "Thanks, I've always wanted to come out here and see these beautiful animals," he added with a bigger smile before turning to face the other man again. "I'm Connor, by the way. Recently claimed so I get to do a bit more wandering now. I take it you work here?"

closed starter for @fieryxconnor

Since being claimed by Lucien, Connor had quite a bit of time to himself to roam the castle -- something he rarely got the opportunity to do being in the undercroft. He was still looking for some way to escape, observing guard patterns and trying to look for any weaknesses in the castle's security. Whenever he could, he spent time with Khion too, but that still wasn't as often as he would've liked. The valkyrie found himself wandering along one of the hallways when he was approached by someone he hadn't yet had the pleasure of meeting. Connor greeted the stranger with a friendly smile, raising his eyebrows slightly at the question. "Oh-- uh, you could try the pool? I was on the way there myself actually. It's usually pretty quiet, save for the odd merman wanting to take a dip," Connor chuckled. "It's a good place to just float about and clear your head," he added. "I'm Connor, by the way. Slave, recently claimed."

Merek made a face at that, shaking his head. "You joke, but there are masters around here who actually do keep some of their slaves in cages." The pyromancer didn't really get it, knowing that wasn't how he would treat a slave if he ever bothered to claim anyone, but he'd never been much of a control freak. Hell, he'd probably be a damn pushover with whoever he did claim and Merek knew it -- which was probably why he had yet to follow through with any slaves that he took a liking to. He chuckled and shot Connor a smile, shrugging. "Very fancy from what I hear -- I haven't had a chance to check it out myself until now. I hope that you're not against being spoiled." Merek teased, pressing a hand to the small of Connor's back to steer him in the direction toward the store.

"Honestly? That does worry me," Connor grimaced slightly, even just the thought of it was unpleasant. He liked his freedom too much, as limited as it may be at Krovs. It was why he was constantly thinking of ways to escape the place. "Oh, I am so not against being spoilt. Spoil me as much as you want," the valkyrie chuckled, allowing Merek to guide him in the right direction. It wasn't often he got taken out of the undercroft, so he was going to make the most of it. "So don't you have a slave of your own to spoil then?"

In the grand scheme of things, lost was probably an understatement, but Hugo would never turn down the opportunity to indulge in the company of a kindhearted stranger, especially not one of his own kind. “Nephilim, yes,” Hugo replied brightly, his entire demeanour shifting to relieved intrigue as he took in the sight of the other standing before him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Connor. Truly, it is. I’m Hugo. Pinky promises aside, I was starting to think nice types were in short supply around here. Have you been here long?”

Noticing the shift in the other's mood immediately, Connor smiled softly, glad that he could help in some way at least. "Pleasure's mine, Hugo," the valkyrie replied with a little grin, admiring just how beautiful the other slave was. Connor could already tell that he wouldn't be in the undercroft very long, he was precisely the type most vampires went for. "Oh, believe me, we are in short supply," he chuckled. "I've been here.. a while. Probably getting on for about a year now. Honestly, I lose count of the months. Recently claimed though. I take it you've not been 'ere long?"

Not once in his life had Hugo ever considered himself weak. Sensitive perhaps, but really, that came with the territory of being half celestial; to feel so deeply was as much of a blessing as it was a curse from time to time. However, as he took in the sights of the Undercroft in all its abhorrent glory, he couldn’t help but feel stripped of all strength entirely. He was yet to come to terms with his entire life being turned on its head before his eyes only days prior. Trying to comprehend the fate that now befell him as one of the newest additions to the castle’s roster of slaves felt like far too monumental a task to undertake right now. Tearing himself away from his thoughts took more effort than he was used to and it was only then that he took note of the individual standing before him. “Sorry– did you say something?”

Deciding it was probably worth a trip back down to the undercroft after being pulled out of it a few weeks prior, Connor went in search of anyone he could potentially help or cheer up, knowing how lonely it got down there despite being surrounded by people. Noticing a pretty face he hadn't seen before and attracted to the fellow celestial's energy, Connor found himself standing in front of the nephilim. "Not yet, but I was about to," he chuckled. "You look.. lost. You want some company? I'm nice, pinky promise. You're a celestial too, right? I'm a Valkyrie, 'm'name's Connor."