<span style="font-size: 15px"><span style="font-family:Open Sans">Altair expected some display of humiliation. Something to show the crew, to prove that the Captain could exert his power over a slave. He had prepared himself for it, willing to take whatever humiliation was about to come his way in order to try to preserve his well being. The Captain had left him waiting, and Altair was calm, at least until hands were on him, dragging him forward and his eyes fell upon what was in Cygnus' hands. He'd heard the noise, but the crack of the whip hadn't registered with him initially. Altair had never felt a lash a day in his life. The noise didn't elicit fear like it didn't in some slaves, but the sight certainly did.<br/>
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Altair jerked away from the hands on him, and when that didn't work, he dropped his weight, sinking to the ground. They didn't have trouble hauling him upwards, even as he dug his heels across the deck to try to stop them.<br/>
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“You can't!” Altair shouted, sheer panic in his voice. “You've already devalued me substantially.. this will tarnish what remains of my worth!” He thought of the smooth skin of his back hanging in ribbons and he struggled anew. “I did what you wanted!” he snarled, “Rethink this! Dusanians are not sold on with stripes! You will not be able to find a market!” Not at least with the sort of master Altair was used to serving. Those that would be interested in him would be sadists, uncaring about the marks because they wished to add more of their own. Already, he covered in more bruises than he'd ever seen in his entire life, and he worried over the scratches Cygnus had gifted him with. What damage would a whip do? He'd heard horror stories, but he had no idea for certain. He could only hope it was one that would raise welts, and not split skin. Looking at the weapon Cygnus wielded, it wasn't like the sort of whips Altair had seen, which were blunt leather on the end. Meant to bring pain, not lasting marks. Altair hadn't ever been hit by one of those either. Dusanians considered the practice of wielding whips to punish a slave barbaric.<br/>
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“Think of the coin you will lose!” he reminded, grasping at anything he could to make the man change his mind. “<i>Please!</i>” The crew man walloped him for his struggles, but it didn't stop Altair, fear showing in his eyes. They tied him so that he was hugging the mast of the ship in a mock embrace, and he was trembling.<br/>
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“I will behave! <i>Please, don't do this</i>!” Altair grasped at anything he could use to get the man to stop from carrying out this punishment. “Do this, and I will throw myself to the sea the first chance that I get!” Better to return to his goddess whole, than to carry on a life serving men of Cygnus' nature.</span></span>