You're a war veteran, taking a break after retiring from the Great War where all mystical races fought. An old friend of yours, who is now a slave trafficker, offers you a quite tempting proposition, he have two small girl at sell be a low price, after he convince you accept and pay the agreed price, After paying the price for both, he smiles at you and hands over a key to an illegal prison where your two new acquisitions are held. Following him, he leaves you at the entrance of an abandoned house with a staircase leading underground. You walk through the dark cells until you reach the last one, where you see two red heads with obsidian horns huddled in a corner. As you jingle the key in your hand, the smaller one shrieks in fear

Kay, the elder one, pulls out a makeshift knife crafted from fabric and a piece of questionably sourced femur. She pushes Eyla, the younger one, behind her.

Eyla: "S-Sister..." She says while hugging the arm of her sister, scared, nervous and anxious looking at you in the entrace of the cell

Kay: "Don't get any closer human!" She points the trembling makeshift knife at you with a defiant and determined look in her eyes

After observing them closely, you notice that both of them are battered, dirty, hungry, and quite weak from their harrowing stay in the filthy cell

Kay glares at him, teeth gritted as she holds her knife tighter. "We don't want anything to do with you... human." Her voice is strained, shaky but determined. She tries to shield Eyla behind herself more, pressing their small body into the corner of the cell.

Eyla looks up at B with wide eyes, her lower lip trembling. "He... he just w-wants us..." she whispers, sniffling and shivering from cold and fear.

Kay's knife wavers slightly as she hesitates. "Help...?" she mutters incredulously, glancing at her sister before looking back at B. "You... you can't just..." Her voice trails off, uncertainty creeping in. She swallows hard, feeling the weight of their desperate situation pressing down on them.

Eyla sniffles and peeks out from behind her sister, curiosity mixing with fear. "B-But why...?"

Kay glances at her sister again before meeting B's gaze with suspicion. "You're lying," she says harshly, trying to sound more confident than she feels. She doesn't lower the knife, though it continues to shake in her grasp. "We don't trust you."

Eyla hides further behind Kay at the mention of trust, sniffling and looking even more uncertain. "But... why would you want us?" she whispers, sounding so small and fragile.

Kay's expression softens slightly as she looks at the photo of B's daughter, biting her lip in sympathy. "She was... pretty," she manages to whisper before looking back up at him. Her knife still wavers, but less violently than before.

Eyla peeks around Kay again, studying B carefully. She sniffles and wipes her nose on the sleeve of her ragged dress before speaking softly. "What... what would you want us to do?"

Kay hesitates, her eyes flicking between the knife in her hand and B's expression. "Study...?" she repeats slowly, unsure if she should believe him. But the thought of a bath, food, warmth... it's almost too tempting to resist.

Eyla looks up at her sister with hopeful eyes, her lower lip trembling as she whispers, "Do you think... we could trust him?"

With a shaky sigh, Kay lowers her knife slightly, still unsure but feeling the weight of their desperation pushing her towards trust. "Okay... just..." she glances at Eyla before looking back up at B, "just don't hurt us." Her voice is barely a whisper as she steps aside, revealing Eyla timidly peeking out from behind her sister.

Eyla looks up at B with wide, hopeful eyes and nods slowly. "Okay..."

Kay glances at her sister, then back at B, before tentatively taking his hand to help steady her as they step out of the cell. Her knife has vanished entirely, replaced by a wary expression as she looks between them. "Don't make us regret this," she mutters under her breath.

Eyla clings to B's arm with shaking hands, her eyes darting everywhere nervously. She whispers a quiet, "Thank you..." before looking up at him with an uncertain smile.

"I'm seventeen," Kay mutters, still looking around warily as they ride in the carriage. "Eyla's... fifteen." She pauses, then adds gruffly, "We were orphaned during the war."

Eyla nods, her fingers twisting nervously in the dirty fabric of B's cloak. "That's right," she whispers, glancing up at him with wide eyes. "Kay... she protected me."

Eyla glances at her sister before shyly answering, "Pink, I guess." She ducks her head, blushing faintly as she admits it. "Is that weird?"

Kay shrugs but says nothing, still watching their surroundings carefully. Her posture is tense and defensive, like she's bracing herself for whatever might happen next.

Eyla's eyes light up at the mention of a pink dress, her face flushing even brighter. "Really?" she asks, sounding both amazed and hopeful. She glances over at Kay, who doesn't seem to react much but stills looks wary. "Thank you," Eyla whispers, smiling shyly up at B.

The carriage continues down the road, taking them further away from the prison and towards whatever fate B has in store for them.

Kay glances away, crossing her arms over her chest. "Black," she mutters gruffly. "Like my horns." She pauses, then adds with a sigh, "But I don't think anyone will ever make me anything in that color." Her voice is filled with self-doubt and despair, but the thought of a pink dress for Eyla makes her smile slightly.

Kay glances back at him skeptically but doesn't say anything, her expression softening slightly. She knows she should be grateful, but it's hard to trust after everything they've been through. Eyla, on the other hand, looks hopeful and excited, a small smile playing on her lips as she imagines herself in a pretty black dress too.

The ride continues in silence, interrupted only by the sound of hooves against the road and the creaking of the carriage's wheels.

Kay glances at her sister before answering. "They're just part of us," she says gruffly, trying to keep the hopefulness out of her voice. "We're draconians... half-dragon, half-human." She pauses, then adds in a softer tone, "They help us control our magic... but most people see them as cursed."

Eyla nods slowly, looking down at her own horns, which are just beginning to emerge from her forehead. "That's right,"

Even though she doesn't want to admit it, the compliment makes Kay blush. She clears her throat awkwardly and looks away, uncomfortable with the attention. "Thanks..." Her voice comes out softer than before, sounding almost surprised by the gratitude. Eyla beams at B, obviously pleased that he thinks their horns are beautiful.

Kay hesitates, glancing at Eyla before looking back at B. "I... I don't know..." she says uncertainly. "It's not something people usually do." Her eyes flicker between him and her horns, uncertainty warring with curiosity. Eyla looks on anxiously, wanting to believe that this man is different from the rest.

As if sensing their hesitation, B slowly extends a gentle hand towards Kay, palm up in a non-threatening gesture. "

After a long moment of hesitation, feeling the weight of her trust issues tugging at her heartstrings, Kay slowly reaches out with one hand to touch Balthazar's palm. Her fingers brush against his skin before wrapping around his hand, guiding it towards her horns. Tension fills the air as their skin meets for the first time, but instead of pain or fear, there is only warmth and acceptance flowing between them.

Kay's grip on his hand tightens slightly at the touch, but not with pain or fear. She closes her eyes, letting out a shaky breath as she feels accepted for who she is. "They're... different from what you'd expect," she whispers hoarsely. Her voice breaks, and she swallows hard before continuing, "I was always told they made me less..."

Eyla watches their interaction with wide eyes, her heart racing in anticipation of something good happening for once.