Completed Loveless

[Tsaba]

18th Summer, 513 Tsaba checked the address of the unassuming building for the third time, before shrugging to herself and walking over. It looked pretty normal, the only advertisement being the scantily dressed women who happened to linger around the doorway. Tsaba made sure that her hood was pulled all the way up before entering -- not because she didn't want to be recognised, but because she was pretty sure Nuit didn't frequent the establishment, and there was no reason to unnerve people. As soon as Tsaba entered, she felt sharp eyes on her. They belonged to a young, pretty woman behind a small desk near the door, who gave Tsaba a smile that even she with her rather poor social skills could recognise as simultaneously friendly and shrewd. There was no defensiveness in the woman's posture -- why would there need to be, in her own domain? -- but there was no doubt who was in charge. Tsaba immediately revised her initial opinion that the woman was some sort of secretary. "Hello there. What services are you interested in today?" the woman asked, clearly addressing Tsaba but making no attempt to peek under her raised hood. A professional indeed. "Just, uh... basic services?" Tsaba replied uncertainly. In actual fact, she had no idea what different services were offered, or how to ask for them. Was there some kind of menu? "Some company, really." The woman gave a brief nod. "For one silver piece per chime, you get the company of one of our employees. Man or woman?" Did it really matter. "Man, I suppose?" She handed over fifteen silver Mizas, and was handed a small key. "Room three, down the hall. You have fifteen minutes." The woman gave her another smile. "Welcome to the Loveless."

"Bought"15 minutes at the Loveless -- 1.5GM

[Tsaba]

Tsaba unlocked the door to Room Three with a hand that she was pretty sure would be trembling if she still possessed the kind of nervous dexterity to make that happen. She gently pushed it open to reveal a young man perched comfortably on the edge of a large bed. He looked about twenty-five, healthy, and as well-fed as any normal Zeltivan. He was dressed in silk breeches and a ludicrously tiny jacket that neither dipped lower than his ribcage nor closed in the front. Around his neck, he wore a gold chain adorned with grey pearls. He gave Tsaba an easy smile as she came in, and seemed to scan her for cues. Unfortunately, Tsaba had no idea how to behave, and froze. Her companion picked up on her nervousness and patted the edge of the bed invitingly. "Hello there, lovely. I'm Caleb." "Tsaba. My name is Tsaba." She walked over and sat next to him. Her hood was still up; she didn't want to startle him before she had a chance to explain. Caleb put an arm around her shoulders. "I want to talk to you, Caleb," Tsaba explained. "Talk, huh? You want to get to know each other first? Fair enough." "No, I mean... well, yes, I want to get to know you. I'm a scribe. I would like to interview you. Is that okay?" Caleb frowned. "Are you saying you paid for my time to interview me?" "Yes." He shrugged and laid back on the bed with an easy smile. "Well, it's your coin, honey. Ask away."

[Tsaba]

Tsaba pulled out her writing implements and st up on the floor, for lack of a proper writing surface. She wrote as she spoke. "How long have you been working at the Loveless?" Caleb considered the question. "It'd have to be... about ten years, I think." Ten years? But... "How old are you?" "A man's age is a closely guarded secret," he replied with a wink. Tsaba didn't press the matter. "How did you choose your career?" "I sort of fell into it," he shrugged. "I had no money and a pretty face. Madame Zana had an opening. She trained me up and here I am." "You didn't want to do something else?" "Not really. My parents died when I was eight, and the orphanage... wasn't a safe place for me. I grew up mostly on the streets and became a young adult who couldn't read and had no skills that wouldn't land him in prison. It was this or dock work, and I don't have the strength for the docks." He must've noticed Tsaba's cautious dislike of those circumstances, because he added, "Why did you become a scribe?" "I like writing. It seemed like the best opportunity that matched my skill set." "Same for me." "So you like your job?" "Of course. Well, obviously, I'd rather not have to work at all and be one of those rich layabouts, just like anyone else. But as far as employment goes, it works fine." "How about hobbies? Do you have any hobbies?" "I collect seashells." Tsaba gave him a long, hard look, trying to detect any trace of humour in his expression. But Caleb seemed entirely serious. She duly noted it down. "Why seashells?" "They're pretty. Does there need to be another reason?" It occurred to Tsaba that as an amateur interviewer, she probably should've started with an interviewee closer to her own life experiences. The brothel was, come to think of it, the absolute worst place to start. But she'd already paid. Too late to back out now.

[Tsaba]

"You're new at this, aren't you?" Caleb asked with a smile. "What makes you say that?" "There's a particular air of nervousness around people when it's their first time. I can always tell." "Right." "Why do you want to interview me anyway?" "I'm here to learn about people. People living different lives, in different cities. It's part of my research." "And you decided an interview was the way to go about that?" "It's the best way to get consistent information. So you're an orphan..." Tsaba pushed down her own memories; her parents dying at a young age, the healer Craun taking her in, introducing her to her new sibling mere months later... if it hadn't been for his arbitrary decision to accept her, she would probably have died, or ended up like Caleb. Unable to read or write, trapped in a job where the prospects thinned dramatically as she aged... what would that have been like? What happened to people like Caleb, when they were no longer desireable? It was probably rude to ask. "Do you have any siblings?" "No." he smiled sadly. "Little Caleb was alone. But things are better now." "Right. Well, that's good."

[Tsaba]

How much time had passed? Tsaba really needed some sort of timepiece. Five chimes? Ten? Nothing for it but to plow on ahead, until she was stopped. "Do you like apricots?" Caleb asked. "What?" "Apricots. Little yellow fruit? That's the sort of detail you need in your 'research'. I love apricots. When I was a child, sometimes I had to steal to survive. And I should've been safe, stuck to staples that weren't closely guarded. I usually was. But on my birthday, I decided to treat myself and brave the sharp-eyed fruit merchant. "He caught me, of course. It's a fineable offense, but the shopkeeper knew as well as I did that I couldn't pay. I think he was sick of too many hungry hands pilfering his merchandise. 'I'll teach you a lesson, boy,' he growled, pulling me behind the stall where nobody would see. I could've been in serious trouble, but I broke free and ran for shelter. "I bumped right into one of the Loveless ladies, out shopping, and she protected me. After that, I was able to occasionally scrounge coin running errands. Madame Zana saw potential, and when I was old enough, she trained me and got me a job. So to answer your earlier question about why I do what I do... it's all because I really love apricots." Tsaba had trouble keeping up with the story, but she was pretty sure she'd noted all the important bits. She had no idea why Caleb had decided to tell her such a story, but she didn't interrupt him; her job was to learn about the culture and behaviour of the mainlanders, and if that meant random stories, then it meant random stories. She'd figure it out later. From somewhere behind Caleb, a bell tinkled faintly. "That's time up, sweetheart. You can buy more if you still have... questions." "No, I have what I need. Thanks." "Well, if you change your mind, make sure you ask for Caleb, okay?" "I will." Tsaba hurriedly gathered her things and left, giving a nod to the smiling woman at the desk as she passed. She wasn't entirely sure how useful the interview would be to her. But it was data. And gathering data was the first step to understanding.

[Eldritch]

Tsaba :

Skills
Interrogation +3
Writing +3
Observation +1

Lores
-Buying time for company
-Interviewing a prostitute
-Leaving after learning what you needed to

Notes :

Nothing to note.

If you have any comments/questions/concerns about your grade please PM me and we will work something out.

Keep on writing!