The area inside the stages slowly filled as more people entered the auction downs. While slavery was frowned on by certain portions of society, it was still quite legal - provided the slaves weren't human. There was considerable pressure from moneyed concerns to keep it legal, so the Colonial Administrators typically just turned a blind eye to it, and the practice flourished. Even though there was a growing Demihuman Rights movement among the lower classes, the position of Administrator was the final arbiter of law and justice, and none of the elected Administrators had shown any interest in changing the status quo.<br/><br/>The midday sun broke through the clouds, shining hotly down on the filling crowd and slaves alike. Some slaves circulated among the crowd, offering parasols and cold drinks for the patrons. Everyone who attended these events knew the rules - interfere with the service slaves at your peril. Bengal had once interrupted an auction to haul a man up onto the main stage, and had quite methodically broken each of his limbs for abusing a service slave. While many wanted to see such a spectacle again, nobody wanted it to be THEM.<br/><br/>The six orbital stages were filled. One was a Lamia, a woman with a venomous bite and the lower body of a snake. Although she was restrained by the wrists, neck, and waist, her tail coiled down the spinal mast, as though it was trying to escape on its own. Next to her clockwise was an odd, human-looking woman who had no visible hair on her body at all. She was unrestrained, standing squarely in the middle of the stage in an easy, loose stance, gaze vacant and unfocused. The next one around was a trio of very young-looking wood nymphs, huddled together around a scrawny sapling and chained only by their ankles. The platform after that held a banshee, chained tightly and with a large ball gag in her mouth, struggling weakly against her shimmering magical bonds. And the last platform held an enormous, muscular woman, standing well over twelve feet tall. She had been led calmly to her platform, climbing up easily without using the ladder, and stood passively while her handler chained her into place. But once the handler left the platform, she changed abruptly, roaring defiance and noisily straining against the chains. It seemed that she had limitless endurance, because she didn't stop fighting her bonds at all.<br/><br/>The sun beat down on Siena and the crowd, shuffling impatently, until suddenly Bengal leaped up onto the stage, megaphone in hand, and paced the stage while the crowd hooted and hollered. Finally, he held up the megaphone overhead, a sign to quiet down, and the crowd obediently subsided. Bengal smirked a superior grin, knowing that he commanded everyone and everything in his domain, and finally held the megaphone up to his face.<br/><br/>He roared into it, "Let's get this show started. Who wants to take home a slave today?"<br/><br/>The crowd cheered loudly in response, drowning out even the sound of the giantess's struggles.