In a fantasy world, students of an empire's most prestigious university for arts, sciences, and magic hold a high-profile auction to raise funds for important research. The auction is unique, however, in that the lots being auctioned are volunteers who have agreed to be transformed into trinkets, items, and works of art for the highest bidder.<br /><br />The story contains transformations into inanimate objects, so if that's not your thing, you might not want to read it.