The Doge stepped into the room slowly, without the cat he cuddled earlier. The guards stepped at attention nervously. Their discipline towards their lord was something the old man seemed to notice with his raised eyebrow.<br/><br/>"Don't touch the girl that way. The buyer gets the goods at the best quality we can offer. Her flower is to<span style="font-style: italic">undefiled</span>."<br/><br/>The guards nodded in unison with eager nervousness. They looked relieved, as if they were close to death up to that very moment.<br/><br/>"Though..."<br/><br/>The guards stiffened again, as the Doge's voice trailed off. The old man stepped around the girl, his every footstep deliberate and setting off some sort of mental alarm to everyone around him.<br/><br/>"That hair doesn't seem to fit her," he muttered aloud. His old, bony hand lightly lifted a few strands of her hair, letting it sift through his fingers. "Perhaps white would be better..."<br/><br/>The Doge looked at the guards with a curious expression. The sort that meant that he wanted their opinion, biased as they would be.<br/><br/>A servant did not question his master.<br/><br/>And with that thought in mind, the two guards nodded quickly.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>Ashton took in a deep breath at Nathaniel's words. "For the record..."<br/><br/>She tapped the hilt of her sword and glared at the demon. "Do not roll the word 'sir' around with such frivolousness. I am still a knight of this kingdom. And you will not let the images of last night taint your vision of I."<br/><br/>Her glare subsided. "Though it wouldn't do our plan well for me to be noticed in Genoa. The Doge knows me by name and face. I did reject his granddaughter's hand in marriage."<br/><br/>The Doge actually was quite generous about the whole thing. He offered a generous sum to seal the deal, but what threw Sir Ashton off was the looks of his granddaughter. Anna looked like a dragon's asshole, and that was the kindest words Capet described her as. Roy had harsher words, though only because he suffered from some sort of medical condition that a doctor described as 'violent disgust capable of crippling healthy men' upon seeing a portrait of Anna.<br/><br/>She wasn't that interested in girls, but she wasn't about to marry one who had a face only a mother could love.<br/><br/>"I'll be shedding my noble attire for something a bit more common. I suggest all of you look a little more unnoticeable."<br/><br/>Ashton's eyes went over to Amaya, up and down the appearance of her body. She rolled her eyes, but said nothing otherwise.<br/><br/>Turning towards the Silas, who smiled nervously as the knight looked at him, she felt a little annoyed at the way the young boy was hanging upside down from the rafters.<br/><br/>"Get down."<br/><br/>Looking disappointed but otherwise acquiescing, Silas swung from the rafters and landed head first into a bale of hay. None of the horses made any noises, failing to care about the young demon who fell.<br/><br/>Sticking his head out of the bottom of the hay pile, he grinned at the rest of the group. "I've always wanted to do that," chirped Silas.<br/><br/>Ashton paused, as if she was unsure what to say to that. Choosing to ignore it, she turned towards Nathaniel.<br/><br/>"Do you know how to ride a horse? And do you need a proper weapon? Claws don't cut it in pretending to be a human."