The backroom of the Loving Arms was the largest part of the establishment, stocked with cages upon cages of inch high humans. The humans were all as varied as they came old, young, male, female, and all different shapes and colors. Males and females were typically kept in separate cages, hence on one side of the room there were all males and the cages on the other side had all females. The cages were also separated by their occupant’s intended use. Breeders were kept closest to the far wall, ones she was still taming were next to that section, ones she was taking care of for others were next and finally the actual ones she sold as pets were closest to the door to the front room.

Inspection was always the first part of Essira’s routine. Bright green eyes peered through the thin bars of the cages, looking over all of her darlings. There was obvious affection in the gaze but also a calculation, looking for signs of sickness. Sickness needed to be caught early so she could quarantine the ill ones away from the healthy ones until their health improved. So far though everyone looked perfectly healthy.

The reactions to Essira herself were varied depending on section. Those she had yet to tame for instance behaved most wildly. Some recoiled in fear, others shouted at her, still others tried desperately to move the bars on their cages. On the other side of the spectrum those she had tamed were very much happy to see her, some even going so far as to wish her a good morning. Her heart always melted a little at that and she giggled as she went to fetch their breakfast, moving to a cupboard nearby.

In Elsira, most humans were this size. It was very abnormal for one to be bigger, like how Liz was. Liz had only gotten as big as she had due to some favors Essira called in from the mage class. Smaller humans however were highly common among the hyper rich or the mages. She had heard rumors of one particular powerful sorceress having made some so small they could dwell in little communities that could fit in the palm of her hand. Essira didn’t put much stock in that of course, anyone having that kind of power was frightening in and of themselves.

The dark haired elf took out a sack and jug of water from the cupboard and started doing her rounds around the cages, reaching in through the doors on the top of the cages to remove the empty water and food bowls and fill them anew. Even those that she had yet to tame were cautious enough to avoid messing with the hand that fed them. The fare was mostly ground and flaked greens and dried meat. She preferred giving them a healthy diet.

It was time consuming to visit every single cage in its turn, certainly monotonous. However she lived for those moments when she would hear a chorus of ‘thank you, Miss Thrani’ from her well trained and reared pets. Always added an extra spring to her step. She hummed as she worked, a lyrical and soft melody that carried on all through her task. When she was done she set her supplies away and looked through her selection of trained pets.

“Hmm… let’s see who’s going to the front today. I know you are all dying to end up with a loving and caring owner that will spoil you rotten.” She said, pacing down the row.

There was a lack of enthusiasm even from them at that. Essira was a known quantity. She had known some since they were brought into this world, had a part in raising them to respect their elven superiors. It was hard for her too in some ways. She knew all of their names by heart as well as their little quirks. Some she even had long conversations with some on slow days. At the end of the day though she was a business owner and they were her business.

“Let’s see who the lucky men are first… Lucien. Sam. Ray. Hazim. Annnd, Roderick. I think you five will do.” She said, pointing to the humans in their turn.

All five were younger humans, 18-25 years old and were generally pleasing to look at. Perfect window items. Of course window items weren’t just there to be bought, they were there to intrigue and entice a buyer in. She produced an empty silver cage and collected each tiny human in their turn, carefully setting them inside. Her grasp was that of an experienced professional, gentle but firm. Accidental dropping or squeezing were almost as high on the list of causes of human fatalities as being eaten or crushed for sport. Handling them took getting used to as they would occasionally squirm or writhe, especially uncooperative ones.

She set the display cage on the floor before padding over to the female side of the room, smiling brightly. “Good Morning ladies! You all look so beautiful and full of life! Bet you some handsome gentleman or shy girl is just waiting to snatch you up!” She said brightly, leaning her elbows on the counter and raising her leg up before tapping her toes on the floor.

She giggled as a few blushed brightly, shaking her head as she pondered who would be going up. “Hmm… Iona, Clare, Aiko, Severa, and Lea.” Essira selected, producing another empty cage before collecting each one in their turn.

With all her charges in display cages she picked up both and headed back to the front placing them both down at the windows. She blew a kiss to both cages and winked. “Don’t be so nervous, I’m sure whoever will want you will spoil you better than I ever could.” She said with a giggle before returning to the back room.

Now came the time to look at her temporary stock. Currently she had four she was looking after for various well off elves away for this reason or that. She smiled down at the first on her visitation list, the newest to the establishment. “Hello there, Kali! Everything alright so far? Comfortable? I know it’s probably not as good as what Lord Seris has you used to.” She greeted brightly.

The blonde human was very much a pampered noble pet in every sense, as she understood she was of noble blood herself. She wore a ballroom gown of thick and expensive blue fabric and her hair was very painstakingly styled. A pair of sharp blue eyes glared up at Essira at her questioning, gesturing about at the wide cage. The bedding was much the same as her normal stock received as she fed her as normal. Her food and water were untouched, the elf noted.

“Alright? Certainly not! You might be used to living as such, lowborn, but I refuse to lie upon such filthy and common accommodations! Caged like a mouse, how inhumane can you get?” She snapped, her tone haughty.

Essira’s smile waned somewhat. Lord Seris went far too much out of his way to give Kali everything she might want. The man was certainly kind, but there was such a thing as being too kind.  The urge to put her foot down on her behavior was strong since the moment she had met her, however she hadn’t been paid for that. No reason to alienate the other elf, if he wanted to let his human run his life then so be it.

“I lack better accommodations, sadly. Haven’t heard any complaints from the others.” Essira noted.

Kali blew a strand of hair from her face before favoring Essira with a sneer. “Probably because they are all broken wretches unused to the finer things! I will also not sully my mouth with this… food.”

Essira’s usually impervious smile became very strained. She had plenty of humans here yet to be tamed but if there was one thing she disliked more than human abuse, it was letting one’s pet become this rebellious. Fortunately she’d only have to put up with Kali for a week at most. The temptation to punish her for that little outburst was difficult to ignore but in the end the elf managed to keep her smile from falling completely.

“I’m afraid that’s all I have fit for your size, Kali.” She said

“Naturally. Why Seris left me with an incompetent airheaded knife ears like you is beyond me.”

The temperature in the room fell by a good few degrees at the hostile air between the two. Any of her stock would have found a long couple of days in time out as their punishment for that insult. Kali knew she was safe though. The cage she was in might as well have been her own little personal castle. Essira couldn’t touch a hair on her pretty little head. A part of her prayed for the day Seris opted to get her tamed properly. The elf was fairly professional about it normally but she would definitely enjoy it with the arrogant human.

“Yes. Well, good morning, Kali. I’ll check on you later.” The elf said walking away from the cage.

The next two were far more tolerable, Will and Mia, the most darling pair of mates she had seen in a long time. One was a sandy haired male in a blue tunic and trousers and the other was a red haired lass in a simple dress. Both were in the onset of their prime, nineteen years by her estimate. They cowered away from the bars at her approach, drawing a low coo from the shop owner. After Kali she needed a little sweet nervousness from humans.

“Good morning you two! Everything alright?” She asked.

The two looked at each other before Will managed to clear his throat. “G-Good morning, Miss Thrani. Everything’s well with us.”

Essira leaned against the counter and smiled down at the two from above, twining a strand of hair around her finger. Mia shuffled her feet at the looming green eyes peering down from above while Will subtly positioned himself between the massive being and his partner. A wide smile curled over the lips of the elf before a giggle escaped her.

“You two are sooo cute! I’ll have to ask Lady Qora to let me know when you’re having children; I bet they’ll be just as cute! I know she loves you both to tears.” She said.

The two chuckled nervously. “A-actually…” Mia said, blushing as she held her stomach.

Green eyes widened before she let out a squeal of delight. “Really!? Since when!?” She exclaimed.

Will winced at the high pitched noise. “Last month. Lady Qora had much the same reaction.”

“As well she should! Always cause for celebration I say! I’m always excited when my humans have little bundles of love and joy on the way!” Essira said.

She let out a low sigh, the happy bit of news immediately returning some brightness to her mood. “I’ll have to prepare something special just for you two later today, I’m so happy for you both!”

Mia managed a little smile. “Thanks, Miss Thrani.”

With that happy bit of business out of the way and both seemingly happy and health Essira walked to the last one left to her. He was a thin little thing, well dressed and well-groomed certainly but it was rather hollow considering he was in the corner of the cage. He held his legs against his chest and simply stared out in front of him, seeming to not even blink or breathe. One had to look very closely for these signs of life however.

The elf smiled down at him. “Hello Victor, how are you today?”

Nothing. Not a twitch, not a nod, not even a grunt. The man just sat there staring ahead. She’d seen him get up to eat or do basic things needed for survival but beyond that he simply sat there. Essira frowned down at him. “It’s a pleasant morning, isn’t it?”

There was a long pause where she left space for him to respond. Again, nothing. A sigh escaped her lips. This sadly happened often enough, especially with humans taken from the outside as she understood he was. Their minds couldn’t adjust to their new position in life. Most of those that shut down as Victor had were put down or sold away to jewelry stands or food stalls as they couldn’t function. Rare examples like Victor however existed and stabbed at Essira’s heard. It was rather like he was already dead.

Still she didn’t try and push him or berate him; instead she just smiled sadly at him. “Well, I’m here if you ever want to talk. I promise I don’t bite.”

As she leaned back away from his cage she heard the bell on the front door ring, signifying a potential customer entering. The dark haired elf stepped out of the backroom briskly, bare feet slapping loudly upon the floor. It was a tad early in the day for most sales but that usually meant there was good business coming today. Her favorite kind of business. She favored her visitor with a wide and bright smile.

“Welcome to the Loving Arms! I’m Essira, how can I-?”

“Essira my dear, so nice to see you again.”

The sickly sweet velvety voice froze the smile of the shop owner. The elf before her wore the finest of blue silk robes, gemmed sandals upon her feet. Her blonde hair was set back in a long braid, sapphires dangling from the end. Upon her right slender ring finger was a golden ring with the symbol of a snake eating its own tail. On her left was a very tiny human trapped where one might normally set a gem into a silver ring.

Essira’s smile immediately became very brittle as she bowed to the woman. “Councilor Idria. It is a pleasure. To what do I owe the honor of your visit?”

The elf gestured to her side. Standing there, gripping the arm of the councilor was a freshly adult elf. She was garbed in a blue dress trimmed in gold and had hair as golden as Idria’s. She pushed herself more nervously into the older, taller of the elf she clung to, shyly peeking up at Essira as the two more mature elves conducted themselves. Essira’s smile regained a little warmth and she offered the young woman a wave.

“My daughter just had her fortieth birthday and I promised to buy her a pet to keep her company while I’m away during long hours. You were the first place I thought of my dear.” Idria said.

The shop owner knew better than to assume goodwill from Idria. As far as councilors went, Idria Wivlanis was the most conservative and vocal elven monodominant that there was. Considering the varied amount of mages on the council, including one literal psychopath, that was saying quite a bit. Her opinion of the lot of humanity on this world was apparent in her choice in jewelry. Playthings, toys to be discarded when they ceased to amuse. Still Essira forced a full smile back upon her face and nodded to the powerful woman before her.

“Well then, you’ve made the right choice. Let me show you my darlings. I’m sure we’ll find a match for your daughter!”