The man moved so fast that Claudia barely had time to register what happened before he sprang up, grabbed the cloak, and slapped her. She gasped, more in surprise than in pain, turning her face away from the impact of the blow. The auctioneer had hit her harder than this, but his actions had not shocked her as much. She hadn't anticipated this at all. The man had seemed quite calm a second ago, but his reaction was so violent - at least, to her standards.

She shook slightly when he yelled in her face. His words, however, were more unexpected than his actions or the strength of his tone. "You are no whore!" he'd said. Claudia had thought his anger to come from her refusal to do as he said, not that she'd called herself a whore. She briefly wondered why it mattered so much to the man what she thought herself to be.

Those thoughts escaped her mind when he raised his hand, as if to slap her again. She winced, shrinking back, preparing herself for another blow, but it did not yet come. What he said next answered her former questions. Despite her position, she considered what these words implied. She now knew what he meant to do with her. He was going to sell her to another as a concubine. The thought wasn't exactly reassuring.

"Understand?" She shuddered slightly as he shook her, but managed a frightened, "yes". Relief lasted for a moment when he lowered his hand, but then disappeared when he lifted her up, seemingly without effort or strain. Claudia's heart pounded loudly, and she realized that she was scared of him. He was so strong - he could hurt her so easily if he wanted to. Any pleasant feelings towards him had vanished.

All of a sudden, she was laid on the ground, and none too gently either. The cloak was ripped away from her clutches, despite her attempts on holding on to it, and from her struggle, landed on her on her underside. She propped herself up on hands and knees, as if meaning to right herself and escape, but then thought better of it. She looked up at him fearfully with those green eyes, waiting for his next action.

"You're going to show me somethng of value tonight, one way to the other!"

Her eyes widened when he said this, and she stuttered, "b-but....I've never danced in my life before....I....I don't know how...." It was a lie, but not one done intentionally on her part. She had danced before, but those were the stately and elegant dances of the rich, and probably not the type he was thinking of. The other option he mentioned didn't sound too pleasant either. She was exposed and humiliated as she was - probably the most in her lifetime - and spreading her legs for him would be a very hard task for her to perform at the moment.