Aurora remained silent as we made our way through the crowded streets. Rune gave her a cautious glare as we made our way out of the slave market and back to my stall. I knew he was still wary of our new acquisition, and honestly, I couldn't blame him. But we needed to take risks to achieve our goals, and Aurora was a risk worth taking.
I spotted Vice and Alice holding hands; she waited patiently, her back against my caravan as she smoked a cigarette. Once she spotted us, her eyes grew curious as she walked over to me.
Vice looked at me questioningly, "I leave you alone for an hour or so, and you already brought back another problem. I thought you were looking for information on Jasmine."
I gave a half-smile, "We did. We know she will be at the auction, and we know the location of where it will take place. We also know she'll be worth over 100 gold, most likely. I think you'll be happy to know, of course, that I have secured our means to get that money."
Vice raised an eyebrow, "I hope these means include money in our pockets too. We aren't running a charity here."
I nodded, "Right, well, we have our cash cow right next to us."
Vice looked over at Aurora, "This girl? Looks like she crawled out of the gutters. You sure she can make us money?"
I explained, "Look, I know she looks a bit... untamed, but she is a very good scientist, one that can make us a lot of legitimate money."
I explained the plan to everyone, "Look, we bought her from a slave trader. We are going to sell her to a corrupt rich person for a lot more than we paid, and then we'll steal her back. We could stand to make triple or more than what we paid for her."
Vice raised an eyebrow, "Really, Key? A slave?"
I frowned, "I am not happy about it, but hell, I will free her afterwards."
Aurora questioned, "Free me? Really?"
I nodded, "Right, that will be our deal. I will free you from slavery if you trust me and let yourself be bought by someone else."
Aurora grunted, "You merchant types are always the same. All you see are gold pieces, nothing more."
I met her gaze, my expression earnest. "I won't deny that gold is a big part of it, but it's not the only thing. We're trying to disrupt the system from the inside, to free more slaves, and to make a difference. Sometimes you have to play the game to change the rules."
Aurora's eyes narrowed, but she didn't argue further. I could see the skepticism in her eyes, but also a glimmer of hope. She wanted to believe me, even if she wasn't ready to admit it.
Vice sighed, "Alright, Key. I'll trust your judgment on this. But if this goes sideways, it's on you."
I nodded, "Understood. Now, let's get to work. We need to prepare Aurora for the sale and make sure we have everything in place for the heist."
I turned to Aurora, my voice hopeful, "Oh, and if you want to work with me for a bit while we are in town after you are freed, I would love to do business with you."
Aurora tilted her head, "Business?"
I laughed, "Yeah, business. You make goods for me, I will buy them and resell them."
Aurora looked a bit surprised, "Nobody has ever offered me a partnership before. They just forced me to make goods."
I shrugged, "You're a slave in name only. As far as I am concerned, we are equals."
Aurora looked down, "You're a weird man."
I smiled, "Weird or not, I want to have a good long partnership." I followed up with Vice, "Want to pick out some clothes for Aurora? We need her looking good for potential buyers."
Vice nodded, "I will make her look presentable."
I added, "Nothing too edgy, just simple girly clothes."
Vice grunted, "Yeah, yeah, simple and girly. I'll be back in a few."
With that, Vice took Aurora to a clothes store nearby. In the meantime, I decided to open up my stall for a bit. Later on, I would have to take Aurora around the slave district. I might not need a stall, though, since she was my only slave. I figured I could see what we got from Rune; maybe I could sell some of this stuff.
I asked Rune, "Keep Alice company, would you? I will show you both how to do sales. Remember, Rune, she is blind; don't let her hurt herself."
Rune sighed, "Reduced to a mere babysitter. What has my life become?"
Alice smiled at him, "Friends. Not babysitter."
Rune gave her a small smile. "I can work with that." He seemed to be slowly opening up to everyone, which was a good thing.
I set up the stall, arranging the various items Rune had managed to procure. As I did, I kept an eye on the street, watching the people pass by and keeping an ear out for any useful information. My mind was already racing with plans for the auction and how we could pull off the heist.
A few potential customers stopped by, examining the goods. I greeted them warmly, using my charm to engage them in conversation and subtly gauge their interest. It was a slow start, but I knew we just needed one or two good sales to get the ball rolling. There were a lot of weapons and other bandit gear here, nothing I was used to selling, but I made it work. I just made up stories about the weapons to anyone passing by. Harmless merchant lies, in my opinion. I was able to turn a small profit.
Rune began watching me, wonder in his eyes, "You really know how to peddle bullshit."
I chuckled, "Part of the business. If you stick with me long enough, maybe I will show you how to do it."
I thought back to the heist we would be pulling off, something I was essentially entrusting to a 15-year-old. An incredibly powerful and skilled 15-year-old, but still, he was very young.
I asked, "Think you can pull off stealing Aurora back?"
Rune paused, playing thumb wars with Alice, and nodded, "I have never tried stealing a person before, but I am confident. This is the one skill I can say I am best at. If you don't believe me, why don't you give me your pen and I can show you."
I nodded, "Alright, a challenge is it? Show me."
I reached into my pocket to give him my pen. I felt around for a while, then I pulled them inside out. I checked my other pocket and frowned, "My pen...?"
Rune laughed playfully, "You can borrow mine." Rune pulled out the pen I had been using to write prices with.
I frowned, "When did you?"
Rune put the pen down next to me, "The moment you asked if I could steal Aurora."
I had to admit that his power was incredible. Not only did I not see him steal my pen, but he even did it right in front of my face, and it was on my body. That showed real talent.
I nodded, "That was impressive. Alright, you win. I won't doubt your skill again."
His eyes glowed pridefully, "You won't doubt my skills in stealing; I won't doubt your skills at selling the things I steal."
After a little while of peddling goods, Vice came back with Aurora, who looked completely different. Her gas mask was gone, as were her bandages, except for a few smaller ones. Aurora looked much better in the simple but elegant clothes Vice had picked out. She still had an air of defiance about her, but there was a flicker of curiosity in her eyes as she looked around the stall. Her clothes were fashionable and girly—a silky light blue top coupled with a mini pink skirt. Her face had light makeup on, and her hair was straightened out and tied back. To put it simply, she looked pretty and a lot less rough than she had before.
Aurora saw me looking and snarled, "This is stupid. I am not a dainty flower."
Vice nodded, "Trust me, sister, that was no picnic for anyone, but hey, at least it's done."
Aurora frowned, "Let's get this over with. When do we start?"
I put my sign to closed and answered, "Right now, if you are ready."
Aurora sighed, "Ready as I can be."
I exclaimed, "Alright, team, listen up. Let's commence the operation. Aurora will be our point of sale. Rune, you're going to be stealing her back. I will sell her as best as I can. Alice and Vice, I have a special task for the both of you."
Vice tilted her head, "What do you got for us?"
I explained, "I need you both to try to haggle with me. Your task for the day is to draw a crowd. This is gonna test your acting chops, you two."
I teased both of them, and they both smiled back, "Got it!"
I added, "I will tell you what I want you to say and what I want you to do. Let's get this done, team."
Everyone nodded, their roles in this event apparent. This scam could make us a lot of money, or it could be a much bigger risk than we expected and blow up in our faces.