Let's get this started

Saige was beginning to shake now, shaking their head as they tried to defend themselves, gritting their teeth and whimpering as their thigh was grabbed harder. Then they were pushed away, berated and yelled at how they would have no value. But did they even have a value to begin with? If the guy only saw the possibility of getting something chipped off his debt, then surely Saige would be nothing more than a few loose coins, right? They were shaking more now, but tried to stop whimpering as the two men entered, being grabbed once more as the man entering was named to be this Callan person. They were forced to sit upright, slight tears in their eyes as they just looked down.
They could almost feel the eyes studying them, weighing their worth just by sight alone. They were trying to pull down on their dress, hiding away the scraped knee and the red mark left by the angry hand on his thigh. Their breath was shuddering a bit before they eventually was either persuaded or forced to look at the daemon. He was a big guy, and frankly Saige was afraid beyond words. If the guy could freak out at him like that, accuse him and shove him, then what wouldn't the daemon be capable of? They didn't even dare to speak, just being forced to sit up straight as the man still held his shoulders. It felt like they couldn't move.

When Callan denied the offer it felt like a nail in the coffin. That was it then. The seraph was going to die and they would probably cut their body up into small pieces and scatter them in the thick woods out here. Never to be seen again. Tears started falling down their cheeks, because scared wasn't even the word right now. They were terrified beyond comprehension. Another seraph? Was this guy a collector or something? They didn't have to think about it too much before they were pushed forwards, landing on the hard floor on their hands and knees, gritting their teeth as a soft whimper came out. Their scraped knee was hurting quite a bit. The knife being drawn made them crawl away as best as they could, ending up at Callan's feet. They were shaking at this point, their eyes looking to the daemon, pleading with him to just make this stop, but they couldn't say a word.
That was when they noticed the guy that Callan was with had a few cuts on his face. Saige sorta scooted towards him, getting up before they reached out to touch their face. If they were stopped they would just look at the guy with pleading eyes, waiting for some form of judgement to be passed. "Please," they whispered softly, afraid still, but if either Callan or the guy allowed it, they would place their palm against the cheek. Beneath their palm a soft light appeared, healing the guy where he had been cut as well as other places on his body that might've had some rifts or tears. Saige sorta collapsed after that, hitting the floor so hard that their ears started ringing, looking around disoriented.

Saige was too out of it to really answer, just feeling their body being picked up as they felt as if they had to throw up again. Though the strong arms carrying them, made them just rest their head against the chest of the stranger. Barely reacting to being put in the car seat they just curled up where they were, hiding their face away. Shivering after hearing the gunshots they whimpered softly, crying again as this was too unreal to be happening, right? When the car pulled to a stop they sat frozen where they were. The daemon got out, but Saige remained seated, still curled up where they had been safe for the first time in what seemed forever. Like hell they were going to give that up just yet.
Once they had calmed down, they were just sitting and looking at their scraped knee. It was still hurting quite a lot, but other things were hurting as well. Their mind was strangely enough at a stand still. They didn't even think of the fact that they could've probably driven off in the car, but then again they knew it wouldn't matter if they tried escaping. Every person so far had told them it would be of no use to run. Slowly they started moving a little, their body stiff an muscles aching as they managed to sit up normal in the car seat. It wasn't like they didn't want to move, it was just all of the tension along with the sickness that they still felt. Sniffling they opened the car door, getting out they wrapped their jacket tighter around themselves as they slowly made the way to the start of the stairs up to the porch. They just looked down, almost as if they were a dog awaiting orders.

Why would he care if they caught a cold? But they took the hint, nodding as they moved into the house. It was strange, and they feared that this was all a ploy. It looked too homely, didn't it? It wasn't a place of rest, this was perhaps the best place to torture someone. Maybe all the fruit was laced with poison? They didn't dare think about all of the worst that could happen. The gesture felt more like an order, and hadn't it been because there was a chair, they would've most likely just have sat down on the floor. The daemon came over, and shaking like a leaf they watched as the knee was cleaned out and the small stones removed. They barely dared to make a sound besides whimpering when it started to hurt too bad. Covering their mouth they just looked down, biting their own finger to be quiet. The last thing they wanted to do was upset the daemon.
Saige looked to their knee in confusion. It had been covered up neatly and would probably heal in no time because of it. But could they truly trust this act of kindness? No. The daemon had seen what they were capable of, and if anyone Saige knew that it usually came with a cost. They appreciated their powers, but they also felt at such a loss when people found out about it. It was different when they could willingly heal someone, but being forced to defend their right to live? Now that was a different matter. "Thank you," they whispered, scared that if they didn't seem appreciative, Callan would just start yelling and accusing him like the other man had.

Looking at the food that was brought made them look a little confused. He was actively feeding them? It was all too confusing. Reaching out they ended up just carefully nipping at the bread. As the daemon went away, they opened the box, taking out some sort of meat slice and putting it on the bread as well. They were eating it, and for some reason they hoped that the poison would work quickly. Then the daemon returned, and they placed the half eaten bread back on the plate, almost as if they were too scared to eat around him. And they sorta was. If Saige was busy eating, then they wouldn't notice if the daemon did something strange that could be a give away to what would happen next.
However what was then explained to them made the seraph look to the daemon in disbelief. Tagged like some sort of animal? They looked at the applier, swallowing the last bite they had taken, shivering once more. That didn't look like it would be just a pinch. That looked like it could shatter their whole ear if done wrong. Shakily they reached out, touching the applier, even picking it up. It was heavy, and Saige was shaking too much, so they just handed it to the daemon in defeat. There's no use in running. That voice played over and over in their mind, and they simply turned their ear towards the daemon, looking down.
They felt the cold applicator surround their ear, gritting their teeth as they tried to stay calm and prepare themselves. However the pain was indescribable, and with the lightheadedness they simply fainted, slamming their head down into the food if the daemon hadn't caught their head in time. Waking up slowly, they felt that tears were just streaming down their face, their ear bleeding quite a bit as it was so violently altered, and the seraph simply started to cry. Sobbing as the pain was too much for them. Wouldn't it have been easier to kill them?

Saige just cried, the warning feeling like a repeat of what everyone else had told them so far. Don't run. There would never be a place for them to hide again. And they would never know peace. Eventually they ended up on the floor, curled up and despite sobbing they had no tears coming out anymore. They were exhausted from crying, but sleeping now felt like a death sentence. Last time they had passed out in sleep they had been kidnapped. What if while they slept this Callan sold them off to someone new? All they were was just cattle, right? They were starting to get cold as well, but every muscle in their body was aching along with their bones. All they could truly do was lay there on the floor, shivering from cold and fear, trying to make sense of it all.
They didn't know when they had drifted off, but as they woke up they were screaming and crying from a nightmare. Sitting up they bumped their head into the chair they had been sitting on. Their ear was back to hurting, realizing they had probably bumped it while sleeping. In their dream everything had been back to normal. They had been studying, seeing Romeo and helping him with his treatment. That was when they realized something. They needed to ask for it at least. Getting up they had to use the chair and table to support their own weight until they had heated up a bit. Spotting a blanket they grabbed it, draping it over their shoulder before venturing into the house. Where was the daemon? Everything was so new and scary, and their ear was just making them have a strained headache. "S-sorry?" They called out. Their vocals raw from having cried so much. It had gotten dark outside, and they were unsure if it was night or if it was the very early hours of the morning.

Bathroom? Saige wasn't sure where that was, but they followed where the voice was coming from. They entered, a bit surprised to see the daemon in the bathtub, so they opted to look down, pulling the blanket closer to their body. They were shivering again, scared that something bad was going to happen because of what they would ask next. "I .." They muttered softly, grasping onto the blanket, "I know I am in no position to ask of anything." They could already imagine the daemon cutting them off then and there, but the seraph would insist on speaking. Even if it wouldn't make sense to the daemon. "I have I very dear friend .. he's sick, and I .. I was helping him recover before this," it was a bit of a broad statement but fleshing out Romeo's story would be a breach of the trust the lycan had to them. "Could I please still go to the appointments with him?" They felt hopeless in this. The daemon had seemed caring, but they also feared what might be his answer. "You already told me to not bother running away; I just really want to help my friend." Saige perhaps had more empathy than what benefitted them in the end, but it had always been one of their greatest traits. And perhaps their own downfall. "I would do anything .. anything .. if you would let me continue to help him."

Saige nodded at the notion of wanting to do anything to aid their friend. Of course they would. Romeo wasn't just a friend, they were more akin to a cousin in their eyes. Maybe the lycan didn't see it that way, but the seraph surely did. They weren't really sure where to look, so they just kept their gaze down, trying not to upset the daemon. Narrow it down? How were they supposed to narrow down a term such as anything. "Anything to my body I suppose," they didn't really have much else to offer at this point, seeing as they had no freedom nor access to any of their belongings. While Saige might've looked weak right now, they were usually boastful and rather happy. Though that had gone away with what they had experienced over these last couple of days.
The notion of building trust wasn't really appealing to them. Why would they need trust if the daemon could just do as he pleased? The seraph moved to sit down on the floor, their body still aching from everything it had gone through, and sleeping on the floor hadn't helped. Loosening the blanket a bit, the steam felt nice on their skin. A few of their curls were already sticking to their forehead. "My name is Saige," they spoke rather softly, keeping their gaze down and just generally feeling the steam heat their body and making their muscles relax. "I'm 19, and I'm currently studying psychology .. or maybe I was? I don't know if you'll even let me do my classes for that." They shook their head, pulling their knees up under their chin, just staring at the foggy tiles. "I don't have any contact with my family .. which meant that the people who took me couldn't get a ransom." Would no-one really miss them if they were to die? Saige had always lived life with the intent of helping others, and that had been their biggest driving force. "I like mango and to paint."

The fact that Saige was being listened to was surprising, but they chose not to comment on it. They were still scared of the daemon, that didn't just go away, but their body was still so tired, so it didn't really put up much of a fight with the room being so warm. As he agreed to let them continue their study their eyes lit up a little surprised, but actually grateful. "I-I got a couple of years left," they admitted, "I skipped a few years, so I started university rather young I suppose." They had finished their bachelors already on to their masters. "If everything goes well I was hoping to pursue a PhD," but that would take even more years of study, and maybe the daemon wouldn't allow that much freedom.
Then the daemon asked about their friend. Swallowing they looked down, "he's struggling with an eating disorder; he's healing fine physically, but mentally it's still a mess for him, and that's what I'm trying to help him heal," that was fair enough without delving into the lycan's trauma. There really was no need for it. Looking at the patch that the daemon had applied they frowned, "you only let me live because you saw what I can do," they had deducted that much. Because there perhaps wasn't truly much more to the seraph as it was. "So I suppose you want to know about that part of me more than what I like and who I care for." They at least found that to be the case.
"I've spent years trying to comprehend it .. I've tried different things, being used for it as well, so I suppose this was bound to happen eventually," the situation they found themselves in right now was perhaps the worst case scenario. Perhaps worse than they would've ever have been able to come up with. "I have to touch someone to heal them," they explained, "depending on the damage, it might take me quite a bit of time and focus, but scratches and bruises are easy enough." But would the daemon even believe them? "I can't heal myself .. and if I exhaust myself I start to feel the pain of the one I'm healing."

Saige just held their eyes down. Afraid that if they looked at the daemon in any wrong way, he would punish them in some way. It was true that Callan wasn't directly the reason for being in this situation, but their choice had made it so they were alive right now. Though they wondered if they were better off dead. "No - but without you I might've had a worse fate than death," they admitted. The guy had said so himself that they were interested in some capacity. And if Saige hadn't been willing to give, the guy surely wouldn't have hesitated to just take what he wanted.
The mention of a demonstration made them flinch before they looked to the knife. "Don't-" they pleaded, they didn't want the daemon to hurt himself. Strange how even after what had happened, the seraph still didn't wish for anyone to get hurt. Seeing the blood they scrambled over the floor, not even hesitating to touch the daemon, though they felt they had no strength in their arms. Instead their forehead was placed against the daemon's hand, closing their eyes to focus on healing them. They were still shaking from fear, but the cut slowly started to heal up, and as long at the skin to skin contact was not broken, then the cut would disappear as if it had never been there. Saige was panting at this point, clearly exhausted and they felt as if the steam wasn't helping them breathe anymore. The shivers were starting to not even be from fear anymore, and if the daemon even cared, he could feel that the seraph was burning up a fever. "Don't hurt yourself," they pleaded in a soft voice.

Saige felt so tired, barely reacting as they were picked up and brought into bed. They were sweating a little but most of the water on their skin was just the condensation from the steam. The daemon checked them, but neither the knee nor the ear was infected. They had simply driven themselves too far into exhaustion along with the fact that they hadn't been in a decent and stable amount of heat. They weren't really wearing clothes suited for the autumn weather. The bed was soft, much softer than the floor or the strange bed contraption that they had woken up in last. Their eyes looked to the daemon, blinking slowly as their eyes were a bit fluid. It was clear that healing someone when they weren't in optimal conditions took quite the toll on them. "I'm fine," they muttered softly, "is your arm alright?" As if that was their greatest worry in the world. Saige didn't like to see people hurt or suffer, and would gladly place anyone - even their captor - over themselves. They couldn't keep their eyes open much longer, the heat burning them up as they shivered from feeling cold. "I'm sorry." They whispered softly, "I'll do better next time." But it didn't really sound like they were talking to the daemon anymore.

Saige was barely registering what was going on, though whenever they were wakened they would mutter something incoherent mostly apologies or promises of trying harder. It wasn't really stated who they talked to, nor what all of their nonsense meant.
Eventually they woke from their fever heavy slumber, realizing that they weren't wearing their clothes they feared that something had happened. The clothes that had been laid out for them was much too big, but they put it on regardless, even if it made them feel uncomfortable. Saige had always felt more themselves in more feminine clothes, and while their family had tried their best to suppress that side of them, it was clear they had failed. Their ear was still hurting, but their fever had gone down quite a bit. Turning their head they saw food and water had been left out for them. Drinking some water and taking a few bites of an apple, they just sorta sat there. What was going on? The last thing they remembered was healing the daemon's arm.
Getting up they were still a bit wobbly on the legs, but they really had to use the bathroom. Once that was done they moved back to the bed, just sitting down and trying to cover up their body. They felt a little beside themselves. And they wondered if the daemon was starting to think that they weren't worth the hassle. Closing their eyes, they just opted to sit silently, almost meditating and praying a little as well. Saige believed in Verity of course, but they prayed to almost every god or goddess, just to appease them and make up for those who didn't pray. They even prayed to Bael, even if it was strange.

A few days had passed at this point and the fever had gone away. Their ear was slowly healing too, and the scraped knee was almost healed as well. They were still unsure about what their function was. What Callan wanted with them and whether or not they would be able to go visit Romeo. All of it was so confusing. In regards to clothing they had decided to be a bit creative, doing their best to make the boring and plain clothes a bit more to their taste. At least they had made a makeshift dress along with a skirt. It made them feel more themselves again.
They were standing in the kitchen, cutting up some fruit. They weren't sure how they managed to stay so calm, but the daemon hadn't been cruel to them yet. In fact he had been rather caring, even if it was in his own way. However the pieced ring always seemed to remind them of their place. A number, not a person. An animal at best. They stopped cutting for a while, just standing there spacing out.
576. That's what was engraved on the ring. Wondering what it meant they had tried to see if it fit with the alphabet, but EGF didn't make any sense, so they had come to the conclusion that it was a way to be counted. To think that there had been 575 before them was scary. Shaking their head a little to clear their thoughts, they returned to cutting the fruit. That was until a loud bang was heard. Freezing into place, they just stood there unable to move as someone moved through the house.
A small whistle sound was heard, "Man, this is some fancy shit," an unfamiliar voice said before Saige saw the intruder that stepped into the kitchen. It was a relatively tall guy, and he was clearly surprised to see anyone home. The seraph stood frozen, staring at the intruder with big eyes before dropping the knife and moving away. They weren't looking for trouble, but then a creepy smile appeared on the intruder's lips. "Looks like someone left me a little treat," he said, taking off, chasing Saige through the house.
The seraph eventually ended up barricading in their bedroom before the door was broken down. They were pushed onto the ground, the man above them huffing from having used his strength to get in here. "Fucking brat, lay still princess, it'll be over before you know it," he said as Saige fought to get free. But it was no use. The heat signaled that it was a lycan, and no matter what the seraph would lose that strength battle. The lycan grinned, grabbing around the seraph's neck tightly, making them choke and cough. Their bottoms were ripped off, creating burn marks on their skin as the intruder seemed to prepare himself, grunting like a pig.