"Something like that," Kiernan groaned. He knew that she looked way too young, but with the way she carried herself he hadn't imagined she was that young. But then again, nobles were always trying to get their kids to grow up way too fast. Fortunately, he was too drunk to do the math in his head, and the difference was not something he wanted to know. All he needed to know was that she was too young and Aspel's baby sister.
But the next topic was more pleasant, at least. "Yeah, it was something to watch, let me tell you. That Theo, man. Ric said something hilarious about him having a gold dick, the way his price skyrocketed." He laughed at the memory. "Drake was a hot commodity too. Man, you'd have enjoyed it, I think. As for how much I went for... can't say I remember. Five hundred?"
Mag's eyebrows receded into her hairline when she heard the figure. "Five hundred gil." She whistled and took a sip of her drink. Kiernan's voice echoed in her head. Five hundred fucking gil. Nobles really were crazy. "I wonder if nobles know it's possible to get dates for free." She took another swig before adding, "Now I'm not saying that was a bad purchase, mind. It's clear the lady has good taste." She smiled at Kiernan. "But damn. That's a lot of money for a date."
The way Kiernan talked, it sounded as though Theo and Drake had fetched much higher prices. Drake was rather attractive, and Theo's grumpiness may hold an appeal for some women. "Well, how much did they go for?" Mag made a show of gripping the edge of the bar with both hands and joked, "Come on, I'm ready. No matter how scandalous the figures are, I promise I won't faint." Probably.
"You know I'm worth it," he said with a wink. Like hell if he knew whether or not he was exaggerating the price, but who kept track of these things anyway? "And I doubt they know that dates can come as cheap as the dinner you're willing to buy them. Or, vice versa, have their dates pay for their meal. Ah, well. They've the money to spare." He recalled Euphie's vitriol about the entire affair. He did see her point, but hey, at least the gil went for a good cause, even if that damn sea serpent seemed intent on wrecking all of the effort.
He tapped his finger on his chin, trying to remember. "Theo definitely made it into the thousands. We were convinced he was going to break the five digits. I don't know, he was probably five or seven thousand gil. Drake was at least fifteen hundred. Those guys, man." Kiernan shook his head, and then he smirked. "Big enough numbers for you to faint?"
The more she heard, the more this auction was sounding like high-end prostitution -- and if these figures were any indication, there was more than one fighter who'd missed their true calling in life. "Almost. All for a good cause, I suppose," Mag said, laughing now. "I feel like the guild should organise another one of these auctions." She began to list the benefits of this idea, ticking off items with her fingers. "More money for repairs, the nobles get dates, and the Fighters' Guild's charming ladies and gentlemen win over the public, and the rest of us get to watch the whole thing and be entertained." She grinned. "Everyone wins."
Still, Mag had to wonder how Theo's date had gone. If she'd had to go on a date with someone who spoke only in monosyllables, when he spoke at all, she was sure she would have fallen asleep within the hour. There were of course date activities that did not necessitate talking; it could well be that whoever had bidded on Theo had done so with those in mind. Or maybe there were people out there who did not mind sitting through a date with scowling, silent men. Though why anyone would pay seven thousand gil for that was beyond Mag's understanding. Nobles.