You have a busy day planned, and a lot of your normal work is going to have to be handled behind the scenes. Luckily, Emerald is dependable enough to take care of that, and you called ahead to tell Saphron and Velvet that they'll be needed for a three-way video tonight. It'll be a first for all of them, but the job will be easier for Velvet and Emerald. Saphron is the one who'll be feeling the brunt of their attention.
That's probably for the best in all honesty. There's no denying Saphron is the worst of the three in terms of acting and ability, so it's best she be between them as Velvet plows her with a strap-on and Emerald rides her face. There's a lot less "skill" required in acting when you're being taken from both ends.
You have a date with your prospective girlfriend this afternoon and evening, and you called ahead to make sure she's aware of it. Surprises are romantic, but it will be a nasty surprise if you show up and she's neither ready nor in the mood. No one likes being rushed. Luckily, Kali says she's looking forward to it, though the call was short. Kali will be at work throughout the day. Life as a working person in Vale is hard, and not everyone gets their mornings and afternoons off as you do.
That's not to say you're not working, however. You're always on the job in one way or another, and today you're at the slave auctions scouring for a girl who isn't yet a slave. Ruby Rose made an impression upon you the last time you met her.
Innocent, naïve, corruptible.
It's probably not the impression she was aiming for, but you'll be damned if it's not an attractive one all the same. Better yet, she's willing to become a slave in a way most others aren’t, so you imagine she'd be much easier to train up.
Given today is Friday, and one day before the Grand Market, you're not surprised to see the place is almost empty. Most of the traders are happy to wait one extra day to sell off the better girls, so the ones on display today are probably some of the cheapest you'll ever run into. In fact, there doesn't even seem to be an auction going on at all. Instead, girls are lined up with wooden blocks telling their prices.
It's not hard to find Ruby when the place is so quiet. The girl in the red hood is looking up at the girls for sale with an almost sympathetic smile on her face. You don't see her mother around, but you're sure she's somewhere close by. Either way, you approach with a friendly smile.
"Morning, Ruby."
The girl jumps and turns to look at you, but her panic soon fades. "Oh, hi! It's— It's Jaune's friend."
Aaand she's forgotten your name.
"Joker. And yeah, I am Jaune's friend. We even work together a little now." And Jaune earned some seriously good money for the one movie he's done with you. For raking in over 1,000 in advertising revenue for you, you'll definitely call him a good friend. "And any friend of Jaune's is a friend of mine," you continue. "Which makes us friends as well."
"Huh. I guess that makes sense!"
God. Ruby is the kind of girl who needs those classes in school that tell you not to climb into the back of a van if a man offers you candy, isn't she? Talk about overly trusting. Well, it's not such a bad thing for you.
"So, friend," you say. "I don't suppose you can tell me why there's no auction today?"
"Oh, sure!" Ruby gains a little confidence now you're on familiar ground. The slave auction is her playing ground after all. "Friday is always the quietest when it comes to auctions, and there are so few people who come that they're not normally run at all. These girls are up for direct sale. And that's bad."
"How so?"
"Well, when a person puts you up for direct sale, it's as good as saying that you didn't do well enough at auction to be bought, or that they don't think you'll make enough to be worth the auctioneer's cut." Ruby nods to the various girls, none of whom look particularly pleased with their situation. They're stooped and miserable. "Direct sale means they advertise the girls for a set price and anyone can just come up and buy them. No questions asked. It's always cheaper than an auction, and that means less money for them once their service period is over. It's not what any girl wants to happen when they sign up."
You can see why. The hope for every girl who agrees to this is that she'll be the source of a bidding war that drives their value up, both for the perceived better treatment and the fact they'll have earned more money in the end. That's not going to happen here. Worse still, they've probably been rejected for days or weeks by now, bringing their spirits even lower.
"Are these the leftover slaves I've heard about?"
"Mmm. Kinda. But even leftover slaves are usually snapped up cheap on auction. These ones are either flawed or so plain that the ones who own them don't see the point. Or sometimes they've been bought by someone else and they're being re-sold for one reason or another. Usually, that's because they're too rebellious or won't listen, but I've seen fringe cases where it's because their owner died or couldn't afford to keep them, but in those cases they're usually snapped up pretty quick."
Given the looks on their faces, these girls aren't in such a fortunate position.
"What will happen to them?" you ask.
"Someone will buy them eventually, but it'll be for cheap. They'll probably be bought by someone who thinks they can turn a profit out of them by using them over and over and over without care for their health. I've heard some girls get used like that. Bought by pimps who just put them in an alleyway every night for 10 or 20 years."
"That's awful," you say, considering the profit/loss potential of such an arrangement.
If someone did it then they'd make a profit eventually. Even a girl costing 4,000 lien could make at least 50 a night, and it'd only take 80 nights to break even. Typically, it'd cost less because you'd be serving more than one person a night.
It's probably best not to mention that in front of Ruby, though.
"Yeah, it is," she says, unaware of your thoughts. "But why are you here, anyway? Are you buying a slave?"
"I'm planning to eventually," you say. "I don't know if I mentioned it, but I'm planning to become a slave trainer just like Jaune is. We've even talked about getting a house share together and splitting costs to live together while we start out."
"That's cool! Maybe we'll be roommates when Jaune buys me, then."
Not quite what you were hoping to hear.
"Well, maybe that'll be the case, or maybe I could become your slave trainer instead. How does that sound?"
To your displeasure, Ruby doesn't look thrilled by the idea. "Ehhh… I mean, that's nice, and I'm flattered but I kinda promised I'd be Jaune's first slave, you know?"
"Did he promise that or you?"
"Well, I promised it, but it's going to happen. And you're not even a slave trainer yet. You haven't trained any slaves, so how do you know if you'll be any good?"
It's a fair point but for one thing.
"How do you know if Jaune is any good?" you ask back. "He hasn't trained anyone either."
"Yeah, but I've known Jaune for ages," she says, as if that explains everything. "I trust him, and he knows a lot. He's been here every day, just like me, watching and learning the trade. He'll be an amazing slave trainer."
You, on the other hand, have been to less than five slave auctions, and don't have any experience to your name. It's hard to argue with Ruby's common sense answer, even if you think she's putting a little too much faith in Jaune. He's as inexperienced as you, even if he does know a lot of the theory.
More than you do.
Convincing her isn't going to be easy.
Maybe you should get to know her first.
"Well, I guess that's fair," you say, not even trying to mask your disappointment. "But I still want to be a good trainer, and I'm prepared to go the whole way, so how about you and I meet up again sometime? To compare notes. I've been picking Jaune's brain and I'd love a chance to pick yours as well. And if you are going to be Jaune's slave, then you and I will be roommates one day. We might as well get to know one another in advance."
Ruby blinks up at you, and then off to the side. "I… I guess that makes sense. Okay, here's my number. But dad says I can't stay out later than nine."
"How old are you again?"
"Not old enough, according to dad," she grumbles. "Bah."
You trade numbers and Ruby quickly makes her excuses to slip off and check out some of the other people around. You're fairly sure she just feels embarrassed and wants to get away from you, which isn't ideal. At least you got her number.
"Ahem." A woman behind you clears her throat. "Joker, wasn't it?"
It's Ruby's mother, Summer, but, contrary to expectation, she doesn't look upset at having caught you getting her daughter's number. Or trying to convince her to sell herself to you. The older version of Ruby, identical in the face, simply smiles at you and says, "I couldn't help but overhear. You're planning to be a slave trainer, hm?"
"Um. That's right. Mrs. Rose?"
"Call me Summer. I'm still a slave at the end of the day. And it's good to see more young men get into the business. I assume you're interested in my daughter."
She doesn't seem upset, so you don't see any harm in admitting it. "I am, but she seems set on having Jaune as her owner."
"Hmmm." Summer hums in a way that suggests she isn't entirely pleased by that. It's a bit of a surprise, but she explains before you can ask why. "Jaune is a good boy, and a very smart young man. I believe he'll be an excellent slave trainer one day, but I do worry that Ruby and he might not be as… suited for one another as my daughter believes."
Well. This is intriguing. "Oh? How so?"
"Training a slave is not like training a pet. For one, you have to plan to sell or make use of the slave at the end of their training, which means that there's a certain degree of emotional separation that is often advised. A slave who grows too attached and to the point of loving their owner could suffer a mental breakdown if said owner then tried to sell them on. They'd feel betrayed, and they would cling hopelessly to the person, believing themselves in love." Summer cups her cheek and sighs. "And Ruby is so impressionable, and Jaune so sweet, that I worry it would be all too easy for her to fall in love with him."
"Isn't that her goal? Find love through slavery?"
"Yes, but that's not Jaune's goal. His goal is to train slaves and sell them on, and to make a career out of it. I simply think that if Ruby did become attached and Jaune tried to sell her, but she begged and pleaded with him not to… well…" Summer sighs. "I can't help but think he would cave to the pressure and keep her, and that would be an awful shame when he would have put so much effort into increasing her value. Don't you think so?"
"Oh, certainly. There's no point training up a slave if you're not planning to sell them. Or at least to make money off them some other way."
You have the oddest suspicion you and Summer are on the same page, though you wonder why Ruby's own mother would be thinking like this. Maybe it's just because she has lived as a slave most of her life. Or maybe she wants Ruby to have a lot of money to fall back on once her term ends. The usual advantage of a slave trainer is that they increase your value, so even though they take most of the profit, you still get a bigger payout at the end.
"You know," she says, "Ruby is quite easily impressed and swayed even more easily. Jaune has impressed her because he comes to the slave auction every day, and because he's so knowledgeable about the industry. I might be inclined to nudge her toward accepting your offer if you could promise me she'll be treated right."
"What is right in your judgment, Summer?"
The woman smiles. "Why, I would want her treated like any other slave. Taken in, forced into obedience, moulded into shape, used and taught how to best please a man. Or a woman. Or a beast." Summer shudders briefly, and you don't think it's from horror. "I'd want to see her made into a desirable slave who would be bought by some rich gentleman to serve him, or who might find her way to one of the most exclusive brothels in Vale, where men will line up to pay for the chance to use her."
Summer pauses, eyes growing wide, as if she's just realised what she's said and what it sounds like. She coughs into her hand. "That is, I want to see her succeed in life as a slave and have a chance to achieve her vision. And I think Jaune's well-meaning and kind nature will force him to take it easy on her. Poor Ruby might be sabotaged by his kindness."
You smile. "And you don't think that would be a problem with me?"
"I think you're a businessman." Her hand touches your chest. "I think you will… do what's best for her, which might not necessarily be what she wants. Rather, I think you will give her what she needs. Whether she knows what that is or not."
Ruby would be horrified if she heard her mother talking like this, so it's a good thing you're not planning to tell her. "That sounds ideal, Summer, but Ruby isn't interested. How do you think I should go about changing her mind?"
"You'll need to impress her, as I said before, and I can think of two angles you could go about doing that. Both might be necessary to make you really shine above Jaune. The first would be to have an official accreditation."
You frown. "I was told there's no license required to be a slave trainer."
"There isn't, but that doesn't mean there aren't courses you can take, and even degrees and certificates you can earn. Beacon hosts seminars, I believe. I recall it's a two-day event where you're given a mock-slave and taken through a crash course on how to best mold them. It's 1,000 lien and you can sign up online for the classes. You get a certificate and an official qualification at the end of it."
"How much does that really mean?"
"Not much," she admits, "but the knowledge you gain there would be useful, and Ruby is a very simple girl. Wave a degree in her face and talk about how you trained under a former slave master, and she'll be suitably impressed. I'll be sure to talk it up around her as well."
Coming at her from two angles, with one of them being her own mother, you're sure Ruby would start to believe it. "Okay. And the other angle?"
"The other angle would be to show her an example of your success. As she said, you've no slaves under your belt. Neither does Jaune, but she's seen him put the effort in. But if you were to take, train, and sell a slave for profit, then Ruby would surely be impressed. Better yet…" Summer gestures to the market stall you and Ruby had been looking at before. "Take one of these cheap and rejected slaves which Ruby knows weren't good enough to be sold on auction. Break them in, train them up, and then sell them on the auction again for a profit." Her eyes meet yours. "Ruby will be truly impressed then, and she'll have no reason to doubt that you could train her just as well as you did one of these less fortunate girls."
Summer leaves you after that, telling you to think on it. You don’t know why she's so willing to help you, but everything she's said makes perfect sense. One route alone won't be enough to win Ruby over, but if you get both the certificate and a successful slave sale under your belt, then you're sure she'll be amazed. Enough, even, to consider you as viable a path to her dreams as Jaune would be.
You take a look at the girls on offer. There are 3 for now, and none of them look too impressive. That's probably the whole point. They're girls who wouldn't sell at auction for one reason or another, so you can't expect to find a diamond in the rough here. At least they're cheap, even for the standards of a low-quality slave.
You step up to have a look at them.
https://x.com/Imagebank34/status/2096385383227699271?s=20
(FIONA: 2,000 lien)
The faunus girl with short, platinum hair and animal ears is skittish and watches you nervously. There's genuine fear in her, more than you expected to see, and you wonder if she had an abusive master before, or if this isn't just how naturally afraid she is. This kind of panic makes Velvet's earliest personality seem outgoing by comparison.
Physically, she's short, with a good body and larger than average breasts. Her ears are fairly distinctive, and one even has a little grey cowbell hanging from it. You've heard it said that a great slave trainer can tell the strengths and weaknesses of a slave by looking at them, but you're not there yet. You're an amateur.
At best, you think she looks pretty enough to do well, but would be quite fragile to work with, and, if the way she shifts under your eyes is anything to go by, quite fearful. That ought to be good in terms of her doing what you say, but you'll need to try and dampen it somehow. A terrified slave is not a valuable one.
https://x.com/Imagebank34/status/2096385429604127008?s=20
(ARSLAN: 2,500 lien)
The next is a firm-bodied amazon of a woman with pale blonde hair, dark skin, and an almost challenging expression. Her eyes are sharp and defiant, and it's not hard to figure out that she'll be the opposite of the girl before; wilful and proud, and quite willing to test your limits by disobeying orders.
That kind of spirit will make her harder to train but could also mean more value at the end. Spirited slaves are interesting ones, and there's not much excitement in a dull-minded girl who does everything you say without personality.
Still, you'll need to find a way to break through to her and force her to obey you, because she might just refuse everything to see if she can't make you crack. She probably has a greater potential than the last one but will be a lot more work as well.
https://x.com/Imagebank34/status/2096385465083732175?s=20
(MAY: 3,000 lien)
The last girl is quite a bit bigger in the chest department than the two before her and seems to be feeling quite awkward about the fact. She shuffles on her feet with her hands linked behind her back. She has tan skin, dark red hair, and wears a hat as her only stitch of clothing. You're really not sure why she bothered.
Her tits are, quite frankly, huge, and you're sure they'd be a lot of fun. You can't see much else wrong with her, and that raises some alarm bells. This girl is here because she was deemed "not fit" for auction in one way or another. It's not too hard to see how the other two don't match, but this one seems fine.
But only a fool would think a mistake has been made.
There's something problematic about her that you can't see, but that more experienced trainers can. It might be something you can work your way past, but you'll have no idea what it is until you buy her, and it could end up being a real pain in the ass.
Either way, you don't have to buy now – though you could, if you wanted to. These three aren't likely to be sold off in the immediate future, so they'll be available for a while. If your goal is just to grab one, train her up, and sell her, to impress Ruby, then it might be best to grab one you think you can whip into shape quickly.
The girls watch you hopefully as you look over them, and sink in despair when you move away. It may sound counterintuitive, but they were all hoping you’d buy them, probably having heard you talking with Summer. You are, by no exaggeration, their best hope of escaping a fate as some sodden cum dump strapped out in an alleyway for anyone and everyone to use at 1 lien per fumble.
Unfortunately for them, you’re not in the market to buy today.
If they’re lucky, you’ll come back and they’ll still be here – but Vale isn’t a kind city, and life isn’t so simple. They could be gone by next week; lost to a fate some would consider as bad as death. It's not a fate any girl wants, so it's not such a big surprise Ruby would want to be sure her trainer knows what they're doing.
At least you got Ruby’s number.
Author's Note:
Original quest: https://fiction.live/stories/Running-the-Red-Light/z3DQkYE5X8YBXovZ8/home
Visual Novel: https://andoravn.itch.io/running-the-red-light