The light is bright, too bright after the darkness of the hood. He squints as his eyes adjust. A face hoves into his view. haloed by the blurred light. It is a young looking face, but stern with eyes that speak of dark deeds. Her dark hair is pulled tightly into a pony tail, her lips are painted a dark red. She looks at him critically. He feels a hand tug at his hair, sweat covered from so long in the hood, stroking down it almost lovingly.

"I like the eyes," she whispers and her face almost softens for an instant before hardening once again. "Yes, he'll do." She snaps out this last phrase almost perfunctorily as she turns her head to speak to the other woman. He gets the impression that she is somehow shaken, that the once unassailable armour of her personality had suffered a crack.

She wanders out of view and he is aware of a discussion behind his head, a murmered conversation about payment and contracts. He loses interest and lets his eyes, newly adjusted to the light, wander around the hall.

The space is indeed massive, a huge area that is nevertheless crowded with people of all sizes and shapes and colours. As far as his eyes can see there are Masters, Mistresses and their slaves performing a variety of actions. Some seem to be engaging in commerce - the sale of slaves being the main one but also the sale of other commodities such as equipment and clothing. Others are in the process of showing off their slaves - entertaining the crowds by displaying them bound and naked, showing how much pain they can take, letting onlookers test out thier ability to give pleasure or serve. As well as the kinkier entertainments there are also slaves who sing or dance or perform plays for the pleasure of the crowds. Many, however, are just wandering about taking in the atmosphere. And one seems to be... not in the right place at all.

He sees her walking round, dressed in the uniform leathers of a Mistress but even he in his fugue state can see that she is no Mistress. Her eyes are nervous, flitting about all over the place. Her whole demeanour is shrinking and afraid. She lacks the confidence of the other Mistresses in this place. Maybe she is a trainee of some form, being mentored by one of the others. Or maybe she is not supposed to be here at all...

As he watches her, she walks past the female slave hanging across from him. As she walks past he sees the slave mouth something to her. Whatever she says it has an effect because the would be Mistress hears it and reacts. She does not turn around or react in a way that many would spot but he sees her eyes wince at the sound of her voice and her shoulders twitch as if she wants to turn. But she doesn't. She just keeps walking.