7th of Fall, 513 A.V.
Jaadis’s ruby hair reflected the fire in her eyes as she strode down an opulent corridor. It was nearly night outside, but in the Den muted torchlight cast dying shades across her as she crossed the distance. Her silvery eyes were dead set against the dark door that lay at the end. Something flashed at her side – a whip – and then Jaadis thrust the door open with weapon to hand.
Inside was a bedroom, and like her it was opulent and red. The bed’s silken sheets were rumpled, but no one lay betwixt them; rather, a man stood in front of it, and his skin seemed chestnut brown in what remained of a lampfire. At his feet lay a woman curled up in a fetal position. Her naked back purpled with angry bruises, and she was still screaming even as Jaadis began to speak.
“You will stop. Now.” Jaadis commanded with cold fire in her voice, and her whip flicked against the floor as reinforcement. The man did as she said, though not without reluctance.
“Oh, ain’t this a pot o’ shyke,” he complained, eyes like buckskin sullen. “Cassius said you allowed this kind of stuff, if I was so inclined, y’know, and I-”
“You didn’t pay to hit her,” Jaadis interrupted flatly. “Now get out, or else your wife will know of your little dalliances. Go!”
The Paille left with his clothes in his arms and a scowl on his face, but Jaadis’s threat and her whip were enough to see the man out her door. When she had made sure he was long gone, she returned to the bedroom. Linn was still on the ground, crying.
For a second, Jaadis just looked at the slave girl. With the unruly patron gone, the anger had all but rushed out of her. At this point, all Jaadis had left was annoyance. Holding in a sigh, she knelt down beside her slave.
“What hurts?” Jaadis asked softly.
Linn snuffled. “My face, and back, and…”
“Anything serious?”
The girl hesitated. “Well, he jus’ slapped me, but…”
“But nothing broken? Good.” Jaadis stood up and brushed off the front of her dress. “Go to one of the baths, get yourself cleaned up. You have another patron in thirty chimes.”
“Yes, mistress.” Linn mumbled.
With a smile like sugar, Jaadis left the girl lying there.
Jaadis felt so merciful. At first, she hadn’t been sure if she should have given the girl all thirty chimes – that was thirty chimes that money wasn’t being made, after all – but now she felt almost as magnanimous as a holy man. By that point she had already spent several minutes in a bath herself, just to refresh herself, but Jaadis’s smile was radiant as she swept back into her lobby, where several patrons waited on her pleasure.
She knew all three of them, however, and down to the last they were old men who couldn’t persuade a girl into bed with anything other than mizas. The one who was just swept back the entrance curtain, well now – that was certainly a face she had not expected to see.
This day just gets better and better!
“Welcome to the Den,” Jaadis cried out to the new arrival, and her happiness ran deeper than words. “How may I assist you, dear?”
Inside was a bedroom, and like her it was opulent and red. The bed’s silken sheets were rumpled, but no one lay betwixt them; rather, a man stood in front of it, and his skin seemed chestnut brown in what remained of a lampfire. At his feet lay a woman curled up in a fetal position. Her naked back purpled with angry bruises, and she was still screaming even as Jaadis began to speak.
“You will stop. Now.” Jaadis commanded with cold fire in her voice, and her whip flicked against the floor as reinforcement. The man did as she said, though not without reluctance.
“Oh, ain’t this a pot o’ shyke,” he complained, eyes like buckskin sullen. “Cassius said you allowed this kind of stuff, if I was so inclined, y’know, and I-”
“You didn’t pay to hit her,” Jaadis interrupted flatly. “Now get out, or else your wife will know of your little dalliances. Go!”
The Paille left with his clothes in his arms and a scowl on his face, but Jaadis’s threat and her whip were enough to see the man out her door. When she had made sure he was long gone, she returned to the bedroom. Linn was still on the ground, crying.
For a second, Jaadis just looked at the slave girl. With the unruly patron gone, the anger had all but rushed out of her. At this point, all Jaadis had left was annoyance. Holding in a sigh, she knelt down beside her slave.
“What hurts?” Jaadis asked softly.
Linn snuffled. “My face, and back, and…”
“Anything serious?”
The girl hesitated. “Well, he jus’ slapped me, but…”
“But nothing broken? Good.” Jaadis stood up and brushed off the front of her dress. “Go to one of the baths, get yourself cleaned up. You have another patron in thirty chimes.”
“Yes, mistress.” Linn mumbled.
With a smile like sugar, Jaadis left the girl lying there.
❃
Jaadis felt so merciful. At first, she hadn’t been sure if she should have given the girl all thirty chimes – that was thirty chimes that money wasn’t being made, after all – but now she felt almost as magnanimous as a holy man. By that point she had already spent several minutes in a bath herself, just to refresh herself, but Jaadis’s smile was radiant as she swept back into her lobby, where several patrons waited on her pleasure.
She knew all three of them, however, and down to the last they were old men who couldn’t persuade a girl into bed with anything other than mizas. The one who was just swept back the entrance curtain, well now – that was certainly a face she had not expected to see.
This day just gets better and better!
“Welcome to the Den,” Jaadis cried out to the new arrival, and her happiness ran deeper than words. “How may I assist you, dear?”
