Flashback A promise

[Farren]

15th of Winter 520 AV

It had taken a while to get a job like this, and while entertaining regulars at the Scarlet Sanctum wasn’t exactly her dream job, it was safer than being out in the streets. Here Ruby had protection if the clients got too rough, and plus a place to entertain in so they weren’t exposed to the elements. Of course she took a cut, but that didn’t bother Farren too much. It was safer after all.

Business was just starting to pick up as dusk came upon them. Farren was dressed in borrowed garb in order to stay on theme with the other associates. It wasn’t much different from the red dress she usually wore, if she squinted. Truth was, she was trying not to think about how nice it looked. It was made of red lace, and designed to be sheer in all the right places as far as their clients were concerned. For the first bell or so wearing it, Farren could hardly get herself to move for fear of damaging the dress in some way or getting something spilled upon it. That would be just her luck, owing Ruby for a dress she couldn’t possibly afford.

Then she saw some of the looks the other girls were giving her, and the men as well, and finally she got out onto the floor to brave whatever come. Since she didn’t have some of the talents the others had, her job was to service the customers in other ways. At the beginning of the night that meant engaging them in conversation, especially if said patron was sitting alone. Ruby wanted her to keep them there for as long as possible because that usually meant they would be spending more money, and perhaps eventually buy a private audience. Farren thought she could handle that well enough. She’d had a little experience of that on the streets. One had to be quick with their tongue to survive as an independent contractor, but it was so much more than that. So much more beyond her ability that it was small wonder why she hadn’t faired well on her own.

Lingering near the back Farren spotted her next client or rather, he spotted her. Sitting over at the bar he was looking her up and down lasciviously and crooked a finger at her when their eyes met. There was a blush and a hint of a smile that was not entirely voluntary on her end as she inclined her head slightly and made her way over to the man at the bar. He had long brown hair that parted in the middle, a wide forehead, a pair of close set brown eyes, and a long flat nose that lead to cracked lips that were currently smiling at her. He had a beard to match the hair on his head that was reasonably full, giving him an almost wild man appearance that Farren couldn’t deny she sort of liked. That was the thing about seduction. About her trade. Leaving herself open to all sorts of interest because if she couldn’t make herself believe there was some attraction there, how could the client? Farren’s smile teased out a little wider.

“The night is just getting started. What can I do ya for?” She asked, a slight bit of amusement injected into her tone as she made her eyes quickly dart over his body as she sucked in her lower lip.

WC - 574

.

[Farren]

His expression didn’t change which was a little disappointing, but he did lean forward slightly. Something glimmered between his fingers that she only noticed because he started spinning the coin with the hand he held in his lap. Farren stiffened.

“I was hoping for a private audience.” The man said with a slight grin. He wasn’t looking at her though, just in her general direction. At least, that was what it felt like looking into those deep brown eyes of his. ~Well shite. She hadn’t quite anticipated she would run into this sort of problem. Ruby had made it very clear that all appointments were made through her office, and well… this sort of thing could get her fired, but she didn’t want to disappoint the man. Farren’s smile cracked.

“Well I’m afraid I’m not in charge of who gets to go where. You’ll have to make an appointment first, and then you can get all the alone time you can afford.” Farren said, her smile becoming a little more relaxed as she drew confidence from her own words. To his credit the man retained that easy going amused air he had about him as he got up off the stool, and polished off his mug of beer.

“Alright. Where is it? The night is young, and I’ve had a hard day miss so you’ll appreciate the fact that I don’t have time to mince words.” The man said with a wry grin. Farren started to point, and then faltered as she realized she didn’t quite know where he was to go to do such a thing. She didn’t have much experience with this place, and with all of these people within it, well… it was hard to pick out where he was supposed to go.

It was the sort of mistake that would cost her, and it did as the man’s face darkened with disappointment. “Nevermind, I’ll find it myself.” He said with a protracted eye roll that set a chill through Farren as she watched the back of the man disappear amongst the other patrons. ~Oh great, I’m really putting my best foot forward she thought as she stood by the bar for a chime longer than she should have before she forced herself to start looking for other patrons, but it was not good. That little interaction had her all amped up so she couldn’t think straight, and her confidence was significantly shaken. No matter how good she looked in this red lace dress her nervousness would scare away any potential customers and those that it didn’t she wanted no part of.

Farren dug her nails into the meat of her palm as she silently cursed herself then forced herself to take one step after another into the crowd, sidling along as she thought to head to the back. Just for a little bit so she could properly compose herself. Maybe put on a little bit of perfume if she could convince one of the other associates to let her borrow a dab. That had made her feel so much better earlier. Yes, that would be the play.


WC - 521

.

[Farren]

Chewing on her lower lip, Farren was navigating towards the back when she felt a rough hand on her shoulder. She practically jumped at the touch as she turned around to see the man from earlier with a key between his fingers. ~Had she really been standing at the bar long enough for him to have already met with Ruby? Before she had quite enough time to process that thought, her eyes settled on those lips of his that were moving.

“I got us a room. Come on, lets hurry.” The man said urgently, pulling her along by the elbow towards the rear corridor. This was the sort of dance she had plenty of experience with, but something she had never quite mastered was the mix of emotions that came roaring to the fore. Nervousness, excitement, regret, guilt, fear all rolled up into her, and causing her hands to tremble just slightly. The man gave her hand a squeeze. “No need to be nervous miss, I’ll be gentle.” Gentle. She swallowed that word down hard as they reached the door and he unlocked it.

It was like she lost all her grace, and ability as she crossed into that room. She didn’t know what came over her, it wasn’t like her at all but in that moment with this man she retreated into herself. She copied everything she knew she was supposed to be doing, but there was something distinctly mechanical about it that she was sure the man picked up on, but he didn’t say anything and when it came time to do the deed, he was brutally efficient. Then he was getting dressed while sitting on the edge of the bed while she couldn’t force herself to sit up just yet. She felt almost lost in the sudden numbness that came over her, and then realized what it was. A striking familiarity with the man’s features. How could she have missed that…

The man looked over his shoulder and gave her a pitying look. “Not the best lay I have to say. I mean I heard you were new and all, but well, come on, Ruby has standards. I can’t imagine she let you through the doors with a performance like that.” He said, and his words cut deep. Farren felt a stinging around her eyes as she stiffly nodded.

“Sorry… I think it might have been something I ate earlier. I haven’t been feeling well all night.” She said, and she saw that he caught her poor excuse of a lie as it came tumbling out of her mouth. He stayed giving her a shrewd look, then shrugged slightly as he pulled his shirt on.

“Well… I’d advice you to stop being so adventurous with your diet before work. Stick to the basics, y’know? That’s what I always say.” He said, standing up from the edge of the bed and checking his pockets.

Farren’s mind was racing as she sat up slightly, and couldn’t take her eyes from the man’s back. She couldn’t help but think about what he would say to Ruby, and that she might not have a job here for much longer after this petch up, and… She reached out and grabbed him by the wrist. The man almost pulled away at the touch. Could have easily done so, but when he looked back at her he hesitated as she gave him a gentle tug towards the bed. Farren was trying and failing to think about nothing else than this moment, her eyes widened, mouth slightly ajar but it still felt all so mechanical to her. Like she was faking it in the worst way possible. She felt heat blossom across the bridge of her nose as her face flushed with embarrassment.

“Give me another chance. I’d hate to leave you on such a note.” She said haltingly, the words tumbling out of her mouth and in a snap, the amusement was back on his features.

“Look girl. I’m spent, but maybe I come back and give you another chance. Maybe.” He said, and he pulled out of her grasp as he started walking towards the door leaving her to pick up the pieces. It was a long while before she left that room and her absence from the floor was noticed. In the end, Ruby didn’t even see her out herself. All Farren received was a tap on the shoulder from one of the associates before she was escorted to the back room to change into the her clothes and then leave the premises with haste. Farren found she couldn’t walk fast enough from that place, cloak bundled up around her in a fledgling attempt to obscure her from prying eyes but she felt naked underneath all that cloth all the same. The night was vast, and she felt small and vulnerable.

WC - 809

.

[Farren]

No matter how hard she scrubbed, Farren still felt dirty. That place. It clung to her like a second skin, seeping into her pores and making her paranoid beyond measure. It had been so unexplainable lovely that place, a world that existed between doors. Where everything collided. There was no making sense of it. Couldn’t make sense of it. Didn’t want to think about it, but it was there… Always in the back of her mind. Giving her an itch she couldn’t scratch. Not if she wanted to survive.

Farren sighed and slid further in the wooden tub. The water had long since gone tepid, her skin wrinkly, but at least it gave her space to think. Though perhaps that was what her problem was. Too much thinking, not enough acting. They had sent her to that place, hadn’t they? Wanted her to discover it? She’d been pursuing this line of questioning for days upon days to know avail. When she’d returned from that place, whoever kept after the Overlook was gone leaving her to stumbles out of the nightmare on her own, and pick up the pieces along the way. Only she didn’t know how to put them back together. Her world was shattered. That world shouldn’t exist, and yet it did, and everyone just accepted it? How many knew about it? Why was a place like that allowed to simply exist? She had to know. She craved answers, but was coming up empty when she tried to think of whom she could ask.

Any she told were like as not to brand her a magic user which would be a death sentence, so she had to be careful. Had to be smart, and keep such observations to herself until she found the right person. But whom? Well the Night Eyes for a start. They were the ones who sent her on that petching mission in the first place after all. They must know about the… tha… the door. Petch even in her thoughts she had trouble thinking of that place. It made her skin crawl thinking about how foolishly she had blundered into that place. At first she needed a place to stay, and she’d been more afraid of the wolves than she thought she could be of anything else but then… in the morning well, it all came crystal clear what exactly had happened to her. She had stumbled into the home of some powerful mage, and it was by sheer luck that she managed to escape that place. But there were soo many people there. Were they all under the mage’s spell, trapped to trade and play music for eternity? It seemed like a community had developed there? Could it really be so ordinary?

Farren wished she had asked more questions while she had been there, or of the Overlook’s keeper. Perhaps she should have stayed, but she had been running on pure adrenaline that morning trying to get as far away from that place as possible. In the night it had given her hope, but in the day, thats when reality set in, and she knew she had to leave. Day had a knack for that, disabusing the illusions of the night for the brutal truth of the morning. Farren preferred it that way. She scratched her head, squeezing her eyes shut as she then sank beneath the water of the tub for a tick before coming back up for air. Then she got out and started to hastily dry off. Her problem wasn’t going to get any smaller by her continuing to sit in this tub, and she needed to do something before she went mad.

WC - 612

.

[Farren]

It didn’t take her long to slip into a red linen dress and undergarments that she hastily straightened before leaving her small apartment with her belongings in tow. She made sure to lock it carefully behind her. Not that it really much mattered for stopping a determined criminal, but it would be enough to give an orphan pause she supposed. Bag in tow, she headed for the river, determined to get a meal while she decided on this afternoon’s business. There she stood on the bank for several chimes while she waited for a Svefra to pass by. It usually didn’t take very long, but sometimes they got hung up on some part of the river for whatever reason. Farren decided not to get nervous about it, and instead fixed her gaze firmly across the river.

Just over the top of several squat buildings along the riverside she could see a slightly taller building that would be the first she would head towards. She knew the layout of the commons well enough to know that wasn’t no house which meant it was probably an establishment of some sort. Hopefully one she could eat at because her stomach was growling, and she couldn’t stomach any more of those dried rations some men were handing out a few days back as part of the season’s festivities. Summer. It was just starting and already she was beginning to hate it. She just had to grit her teeth and get through today, maybe find a few answers and everything would be as it was. She really just wanted to make sure she wasn’t cursed, tainted or marked for going into that place. The guilt was eating her up inside as she had slept in that place, eaten the food there, and didn’t that make her complicit in whatever magic was going on there?? Farren shook her head. She couldn’t think like that. She had to remain clear. Calm. Collected. She would never find her answers if she wasn’t.

A whistle broke her out of her contemplation as Farren looked up to see a casinor drifting slowly towards her, manned by three blue eyed men, one of which whom was looking directly at her. Farren gave a small wave and nodded. The casinor drifted closer until it was right alongside the bank, and they threw off a rope ladder for her to clamber up. Unfortunately, not close enough for her to not get her feet wet and muddy having to get ankle deep in the river muck to access it but the Svefra on board were accommodating. They gave her a bucket of water to wash of while they pushed off the shore to get to the other side. By the time the young blue eyed man she had seen early came over, her feet were clean and she hurriedly produced some food out of her bag to give to the man as a token of her appreciation. The Svefra crinkled his nose up at her offering and shook his head, suddenly smiling.

“I’m sorry, but we will not be taking your food today. My friend… well he try some and his stomach hurt very bad so… no more food, okay?” He asked in basic common with a significant accent to his words. Farren frowned slightly and looked through the rest of her belongings.

WC - 559

.

[Farren]

Farren decided to get drinks before she returned to the abode she shared with her brother and sister. The tavern was of course packed, but not something she minded much as she was just after a quick drink and not really looking to chat someone up. A tall mug of watered down ale while standing by the bar was just what she needed to quell her nerves somewhat as she reflected on the night’s events and what she would tell her brother. He would be disappointed of course, of course he would. They had been hoping for a job like this for a while, and that she lost it just as quickly as she got it would come as a blow. There wasn’t much she could do about that now, but perhaps she could find some way to come home with some coin in her pocket.

She looked around the tavern but didn’t really see anyone she liked for the job. The Pig’s foot as the sign outside said was full of tradesmen that stank something fierce from their day’s labor, and after the night she just had, Farren didn’t think she could play the part well enough not to piss one of them off. So she kept scanning, looking back and forth as the crowded tavern parted and shifted, revealing different parts of the room towards her. There was an absolute medley of conversations going about which made it a bit hard to concentrate, and gulping down the warm ale as she was soon left her feeling a little light headed standing in the too warm tavern.

However she didn’t realize just how deep she’d gone until she set the tankard down and her head swam with the motion. Feeling a little queasy in her stomach, Farren quickly decided she wanted a bit of fresh air before she got sick all over the place. She pushed her way out of the throng until she was out onto the dark street, and the noticeably cooler air of the night hit her face. For a moment at least her queasiness was gone as she leaned against the outside of the tavern and took in one deep breath after another while patrons passed in and out of the tavern’s entrance behind her. It took several chimes but eventually her stomach settled enough that she was sure that she wasn’t going to get sick by moving her head around and she relaxed against the wall for a moment as she looked up and down the street the tavern opened up onto.

There were enough people about that she didn’t feel out of place, and she felt a small bit of comfort that there was also a slight bit of a crowd around her, mostly people smoking and getting a bit of a breather outside the same as she was. It made her feel strangely less alone although to a man and women she recognized none of the faces around her. Farren took in a deep, shuddering breath as her eyes flicked up to the night sky, full of stars and the waxing face of the moon. She could almost consider it beautiful but her heart wouldn’t let her feel such feelings after the night she had.

WC - 543

.

[Farren]

“You smoke?” A man asked, jolting her from her brief contemplation. Farren looked over to see a man about her height with sandy blond hair, and blue eyes although the most unique feature about him was the fact that his arms were a different color from the elbow down. A light brown were the rest of his skin was fair. He noticed her gaze and chuckled. “Oh that, well I’m a tanner and well, you can’t quite get rid of the stains, or the smell for that matter.” ~Why’d he have to say smell. Of course she sniffed after he said that, and the smell of fermented skins hit her like fish that has been in the sun all day. Farren wrinkled her nose while trying to force a smile, and ended up belly laughing. When she last caught her breath, she was surprised to see the man still standing there looking a little embarrassed but humoring her with a smile as he took a long draw on his pipe.

“I’m sorry… I’ve just had a long night, and well I hadn’t been quite expecting you there… and hehe, I guess I just needed a laugh. Maybe I’m a little drunk.” She said, holding her fingers slightly a part to show the measure. The man chuckled at that, and extended the pipe towards her which she took tentatively. Farren sensed an opportunity here, and turned the pipe over in her hands, really trying to examine it before her gaze flicked up to meet his eyes. She grinned slightly and bit the top of her lower lip.

“Do you think you could show me how to use it? I’ve never handled a pipe before.” She said, giving him a mischievous look that got a smile out of him. He took it from her, and put the mouth piece to his lips.

“So you put it to your mouth like this, and you draw on it, breath it in deep and hold it in for as long as you can. Its going to tickle at first, but I think you’ll like the effect.” He said, speaking around the pipe which made his words a little mumbled but Farren wasn’t really listening. She was watching intently as the cherry blossomed in the pipe, the warm glow highlighting his features as he pulled the pipe from his mouth, wisps of smoke drifting in the space between them lazily before he blew it all out in a rush. The smell was a noticeable improvement, although not by much. It had an acrid part to it that she couldn’t quite pick out, and a hint of sweetness like he was burning fruit. He handed the pipe to her and Farren took a draw from it.

She didn’t really like smoking, and really wasn’t interested in trying this but she’d seen the way the man’s eyes lit up when she humored him, and although she was sure he could see she was acting like she was enjoying the novelty of it all, it seemed he didn’t much care about that as he seemed more interested in her other assets. Farren smiled, then coughed hard as the smoke bit at the inside of her throat causing her to cough up a storm as she hastily handed the pipe over to the man who patted her back reassuringly. “There there, not bad for your first time.” The man said, chuckling. “My name is Marian by the way.”

WC - 578

.

[Farren]

“Farren.” She said when she could finally get a word out, eyes watering as she swiped at them with the back of her hand. ~Petch if that smoke wasn’t strong. She took a moment to compose herself before she looked up at him. “Do you live near by? Its just, I don’t think I’ve seen you around this tavern before.” She said, her voice a little more hoarse than she’d expected and hastily she drew upon her waterskin. The man nodded slightly, and gestured towards the river.

“Just on the otherside of the Mudway. I like to come over here because the drinks are better, and I don’t tend to run into former lovers.” The man said cheekily, taking another draw from his pipe.

Farren rolled her eyes and quirked her lips up into a grin as she pulled her cloak slightly apart which noticeably drew a glance down from the man. “You have a lot of them do you. Leaving a trail of broken hearts on the West side of the river? You must have a certain prowess then.” She said, edging slightly forward as she gave him a once over. He seemed to take the que, and tamped out his pipe, his eyes having trouble maintaining eye contact for long as the opening of her cloak proved briefly distracting before he managed to fix his eyes back upon hers.

“Well, I don’t like to brag, but you could see for yourself if you are curious.” He said grinning back at her.

“Oh I’m curious. But I don’t work for free if you.” She said, fixing him with a stare of her own as her smile brightened. “But if you are as good as you say, well maybe I’ll give you a discount.” Farren added a little wink as she closed the distance and took his rough hands in hers. “First though, we’ve got to get you into a bath.” Farren wrinkled her nose, and gave him a playful look as she squeezed his rough fingers between her own.

The man gulped, and nodded slightly but she could see that he was still hesitant. “I guess so, but how much for such an extravagance?” He asked, his tone cautious.

“For the night, 3 gold mizas if you are a good boy. The bath I’ll give you for free.” She whispered as she leaned in close next to his face. Finally her words were having some affect as she saw his ears redden and watched him nod slightly as she started tugging on him towards the river where he started to lead the way. It didn’t take them very long to get across as there were plenty of Casinors on the water tonight, ferrying people too and fro and to her pleasant surprise Marian was a gentleman and bargained for their passage which was a nice touch. His house was also not far across the river, near enough to the other side that they were there in chimes. It was a small sort of apartment, large enough for a bed, a chest, and a small wooden tub that was space enough for him to sit inside. ~Well there goes that idea of bathing together, but she felt she could still make that sexy.

WC - 543

.

[Farren]

Fortunately she’d brought a bar of soap with her, expected to need to clean between patrons at Ruby’s and well… she didn’t want to think about that now. She focused instead on disrobing the man and what followed after. It took some time to get the water all warm but they filled the time in other pleasant ways and after a little more drink, Farren almost forgot the smell. Afterward they were laying on his bed and she rolled towards him, propping herself up slightly on an elbow.

“So I’ve decided to give you that discount. You were much better with your hands than I figured you’d be.” She said with a slight smile as she leaned forward to rub his arm. He looked up at her with a bit of a self satisfied grin and patted the top of her hand.

“Satisfied enough to perhaps give me a free round?” He asked, leaning over to kiss her arm. Farren giggled.

“Wow, you are voraciou, but I’m afraid not. A girls got to eat, and considering I just got fired from my job tonight I can’t afford to give freebies, even to talented gentlemen such as yourself.” Farren chided gently and then sat up in the bed and stretched. “Speaking of, the night is still young and I’ve got to get back out there, so if you wouldn’t mind.” Farren said leadingly as she quietly pulled on her red dress. The man just rolled his eyes and sat up with a grunt, turning towards the side of his bed where he fidgeted with something.

“You sure I can’t persuade you to stay a little while longer.” He said, and she heard a tinkling as he sorted through his mizas. She watched him place three mizas on the edge of the bed and then get up from it to stretch and pull on his clothes. Farren turned about and walked to retrieve her payment but couldn’t fail to notice that the coin on top didn’t look like any gold miza she had ever seen. It was completely made of copper for one, with a design stamped into it that looked like an eye over a scythe. Farren picked up the coin for closer inspection, and then held it out to the man.

“What gives? You trying to trick me with a fake miza?” Farren asked a little confused. The man turned around and had the grace to look a little embarrassed as he took the coin from her and quickly put it into his pocket.

“I’m sorry, its dark I didn’t realize I had given you THAT coin. Here I’ll find you another.” He said, putting a little extra emphasis in her words that she didn’t understand as he made a show of looking around the room for his stash. Occasionally he would look back at her, almost as if he wanted her to say something but what she didn’t have a clue about. She was just getting increasingly frustrated that she thought that this man was going to stiff her on the payment after she’d already given him a stiff discount.

WC - 521

.