Now that he could see the waking behavior of the men, he thought it best to keep the man bound the way he was; the man was volative, demanding and delirious. Perhaps it wasn't his typical behavior, but he could understand why Diens had wanted to tie him up in the first place. There was little reason as to why Snow saved him. It was his duty as nobility to ensure the prosperity of others, and that meant protecting their lives. Even though the man was a stranger, honor bound him to rescue the drowner from a cold fated death. Even if he had known the man were a man from the beginning, his actions would've proceeded exactly the same. Hurling himself into the sea? It was a simple decision for him to make, when he knew that he would always come up alive.<br/><br/>But now that the man had been rescued, the fact that he was male made the situation rather perplexing. If he had been a woman, then he would've been given sympathy and captured the hearts of many. A woman covered in wounds would've been wrapped up immediately, dressed before a man could see her indignity. The more gallant sailors might even swear to bring her the heads of her abusers. But a man with such wounds? There was a world of difference. A woman upon a ship was either the daughter of a captain, rich, or even nobility. A man was a shiphand, a sailor - or even a pirate. A woman didn't fight; at least not those that the sailors might be prone to fawning over. Wounds on a woman came from the hands of others bent on antagonizing. Wounds on a man meant that he might've chosen a losing fight, or that he had instigated a fight that he had lost.<br/><br/>There was no way for him to know what was hidden beneath the linen wrapped around the man's bodice, but Snow could guess. If there was a lake of mahogany to be found staining the linen, then there was bound to be a mountain of wound to be found underneath. But what sort of wound it was he didn't know. It could be bloody welts from a brutal flogging. It could be a knife wound carved across the back. It could be horrific burns that made the skin on his back peel away in sheets. It could even be sickly sores that had burst all across the man's back; he had seen those sort of sores when plagues entered the populace. He would only know if he cut away the linen to look.<br/><br/>"I have nothing planned for you in this state, nor will I leave you like this the whole journey, no... for now, I've deemed it must be like this. I will not hurt you," Snow assured.<i>I imagine the captain didn't plan for another passenger, </i>Snow thought. "Yes, we thought you were a woman. You have... feminine features. I also don't believe I became disappointing by bringing you upon the ship."<i>He's scared. </i><br/><br/>The man begged for release, but Snow wasn't planning on giving it so soon. It was an undeniable truth that the man was large. Not bulky, but tall with strength in his limbs. Snow was resilient, but he doubt he would be able to handle the man tackling him to the ground and breaking every single bone in his body. A pang of pity hit him as he deteriorated into tears, though he remained steadfast with his decision. Then the man said something peculiar.<br/><i><br/>
“I know how to serve. I know how to behave, just give me the chance. I am well trained. I have the brand to prove it." </i>It took a moment for Snow to register the meaning of those words.<i>Brand? </i>When Snow had first examined the man, he had noticed scarring on his hip. But he had written it off as solely scarring. If what the man was saying wasn't simply rambling, then it meant that the man must be a slave.<i>What is a slave doing around here? This is rather odd. </i>Slavery had been long since outlawed in Weiss, though it still occurred south of Weiss in Printemps. Most slave ships had no reason to disembark on Weiss shores, not when their goods had no place to go.<br/><br/>The slave began to breathe heavily, still wanting to know what they desired. There was a hint of despair in his voice. "What do I want? Tell me. Tell me who you are."