- abraxas' office

@abraxas c. ♚ /Don't disappoint me. You're nothing more than a breeder./

Though unspoken, the truth rang clear enough. Ellison had erred and forgotten his own place... Hanging his head, he nodded in solemn acceptance of Abraxas' commandments and more than obvious dismissal. Clearing his throat, he rose up from his chair and stooped into another polite bow. "Thank /you/, sir. It will be done." He assured him, though no manner of formality could disguise the tension in his voice. Turning around, he clumsily bumped his thigh into the armrest of the chair in his haste to leave and swallowed down a noise of discomfort. Not that it would have made any difference to the impassive figure behind the desk, so he didn't know who he was trying to save face for.

Himself. Because keeping it together was all he could do to force himself to go on. His work was his lifeline and he had a lot cut out for him now that he was potentially going to be away from the manor for a few weeks. Hopefully /only/ a few weeks. The dread and uncertainty of it all settled restlessly in his stomach, but he tried to assure himself that, like everything, he was simply fulfilling his duty to Carnelian House. This master - whoever it was - that was foolish enough to buy him would soon realize the futility of his purchase and move on like the ones that came before. That was simply their fickle nature. Or so he told himself...

@ellison b. Abraxas was a man of few words. Direct, especially when it came to business. Outside of a few, he didn't make a habit of socializing with breeders, but he had become quite comfortable at least being able to communicate and rely on Ellison over half a decade. Though he wasn't profitable in the same way that most of Carnelian's investments were, he was invaluable to the growth and success of the breeders they'd acquired which more than earned him his keep. That didn't mean, however, that Abraxas wasn't caught off guard being talked back to by him.

"They were given complete access to all our records and their choice was quite clear." He informed the omega flatly, not trying to be cold but rather present the facts plainly. Sitting back in his chair, he regarded the other's evident nervousness and let out a soft, resigned sigh. "I know I /don't/ have to remind you that it is unbecoming of a breeder to question the will of a master. You have been invaluable to us over the years, but do not forget your standing, Ellison. Like in all that you do, I expect you to conduct yourself in a manner that brings honor to Carnelian House."

Leaning forward once more, Abraxas moved the folder he had been perusing earlier to the side and grabbed another from the stack on his desk. "Notifying you at all of private business dealings in advance was a professional courtesy." He glanced pointedly at the man over the top of his glasses that sat low on his nose before dismissively opening up the folder and averting his gaze to the print. "As always, our beta staff members are at your disposal. Please make the necessary arrangements over the next few days... Thank you, Ellison."

@abraxas c. ♚ Ellison had never been so thankful for a chair.

The steward hadn't known what to expect when he'd received Abraxas' summons. Some slip up he hadn't even realized, maybe word of a new breeder who he would be tasked to get settled in. Certainly not the prospect of being bought himself. The news twisted in his gut like a knife, the rest of the master's words sounding far away and muffled as if he was hearing it from below water. He should have known this would happen eventually, that the little peace he'd found over the last five years couldn't possibly last. Though he might have taken on more responsibilities at Carnelian House, he was still just a breeder to be sold on a whim.

"I'm... sorry?" Ellison muttered lifelessly as he slowly wrapped his head around Abraxas' words and he quickly shook his head to get his bearings again. "Yes. Yes, of course. I'll take care of things, but- Sir. Surely there could be a chance that nothing will come of this, right? I mean, I haven't been- It's been ages since-" The more he spoke, the more he felt his grip on his composure slipping, his hands restlessly rubbing over the front of his slacks to try to ground himself. "They know my record, don't they? There are plenty of breeders who- who I'm certain would be far better suited."

@ellison b. "Come in." Abraxas glanced up from the file that he was currently reading when he heard the knock and promptly closed it when he noticed the steward. Though his expression remained unreadable, this wasn't particularly a conversation he was looking forward to having. Nothing that interrupted the smooth flow of business ever was. "Ah, thank you for coming. Please sit down." He gestured towards one of the leather chairs across from him and waited for the omega to settle down before he began, folding his hands together atop the desk. "This is not customary, Ellison, but I thought it best to let you know that there has been some inquiry into you over the last few days from a prospective buyer. I have no reason to believe that this will not result in you being indisposed for the coming weeks and as the interruption of your duties is less than ideal, I wanted to give you sufficient warning so that you might prepare for things to be taken care of in your absence. Is this agreeable?"

@abraxas c. ♚ It wasn't necessarily unheard of for Ellison or other staff members to be called into the master's office for a meeting, yet it certainly wasn't regular enough to not make the hairs on the back of his neck prickle with nervousness. Abraxas was not an unkind man, but the omega wasn't so foolish as to begin to feel comfortable enough around him to forget his station. Knocking quietly, Ellison waited for a proper invitation before stepping inside. "Sir." He greeted formally, stooping into a low bow. "You wanted to see me?"