• Mature • The Devil makes work for idle hands

[Zana]

38th Ymiden, 717

"You are no fun and I am not your friend," Zana whispered to Theo as she handed him a glass of brandy with a smile.

It had been eleven trials since the two men had given her a beating and the bruises were nearly gone. Zana was going a little crazy in the meantime because Theo had insisted that she was not working until he said he was happy for her to, and that would be when there was not a bruise to be seen. She understood it, if a client saw that she had marks on her then it seemed to make it more acceptable. He was right, but she was bored and Zana did not enjoy boredom one... little.... bit. She'd cajoled, persuaded and at one point, she'd stamped her foot. Peter would have given in by now, she'd told him but Theo had remained firm.

So eventually, two trials ago, he'd let her work the bar. She suspected that she hadn't worn him down at all, although he'd said she had. It had probably always been his intention that he wanted to watch and make sure that she hadn't lost her nerve. It happened, she knew, she'd seen it happen after a whore had taken a bad beating, sometimes she just couldn't face the crowd any more. Zana also knew that she was fine, but Theo needed to be sure.

However, as a familiar face walked in to the Lap of Luxury, Zana spoke softly, the smile still on her face. "I've met the man who just walked in already. He's interesting. He's the older one I told you about at the Tea House?" The young couple who she'd met at the Tea House had been twice since that trial. The first time had been the next trial and then the trial before the two men had pounded her and they were due to come back again tomorrow. If he let someone else take them after she'd put in the work to get them as potential regulars, Zana was going to get testy.

The young pair notwithstanding, she'd given Theo the full details of what had happened in Tio's Tea House "He might be an interesting contact." Zana observed, with a smile and a chatty expression, her finger just lingering over his as she handed the glass and leaned forward on the bar.

When Patrick got to the bar, she turned and smiled to him with a very sweet, demure smile. "Well, it's always a delight to see a familiar face. What would be your pleasure?" Zana asked and once he'd told her what he wanted to drink, Zana gestured to the man at the bar whose drink she had been serving just moments before. "Theo, this is Patrick. I met him when I was out shopping. Patrick, this is Theo." She didn't tell Patrick who Theo was or any such, she left that level of detail to Theo to tell, or not, as he chose.

I'll give you everything you're afraid to ask for

[Theo Nji'Ryn]

"My heart bleeds. Can you see it?" Theo responded dryly in a way that dripped with sarcasm when Zana handed him a glass across the bar, and complained that he'd yet allowed her to return to work as usual. He hadn't been exactly immune to her charms and her sometimes unique ways of trying to convince him otherwise. But the result of those lapses hadn't gotten her back to work any faster. Theo on the other hand had no complaints.

It was good business to make sure that her clients or even prospective ones didn't see her covered in bruises, or even faded ones. She understood that as well as he did. It also prevented them getting any ideas along similar lines. But added to that, Theo genuinely cared for both of his girls and their welfare, and they wouldn't return to their usual roles until he was sure. Zana might not be emotionally broken, or at least not to an extent that he worried she might not recover. Billie however had been, and needed more time. And so he'd kept them both out of the rooms an put them to work elsewhere. Which resulted in him being somewhat more bored than usual.

Sipping from his glass, he glanced towards the door when a man he'd never seen before walked in. When Theo was working, no one escaped his scrutiny. Especially those who weren't regulars. Zana might recognize him, but he didn't. Older than him, similar height. He didn't look to be a bum off the street and trouble didn't as good as ooze out of his pores. Course, it might mean he was better at hiding it than others were. But if Zana vouched for him, it was a good start.

Whichever the case, Tio's tea house seemed to be good for business. Theo didn't drink tea unless he had to, didn't hang out in places that served it exclusively. But if either of his girls frequented the place and any of Tio's customers followed them to the Lap of Luxury as a result, then it was an indirect association that he couldn't begin to complain about.

He didn't get up off his stool when the man approached, but he did offer his hand when Zana made the introductions. "Patrick. A pleasure," he said. She'd told him something about this man. Would he turn out to be not just an interesting contact but a good one? Only time and familiarity could tell. Theo opted however not to reveal his role at the Lap of Luxury. As an opener it didn't make sense. Whether he would at some point remained to be seen.

[Patrick]

Patrick hadn't usually made it habit to walk the higher steppes of the Glass Quarter, granted he always felt out of place any time he did. Though much like the rest of the city it still felt too high class for his standards, though that likely came from the meager background of poverty. He did after all grow up in it the majority of his life, so that could serve explanation in regards to the feeling really. The bartender hardly allowed it to bother him of course, allowed himself to walk tall in confidence when he arrived and entered his destination. The Lap of Luxury as it'd been so well named, a place that held familiarity within its air.

Though unlike the Harlot this place seemed somewhat less risque, like there was more social grace involved. It reminded him of the Glass Rose in Ne'haer honestly, though that place had far more lush and lavish than this one. Strangely Pat felt comfortable here quickly, but that was likely due to the fact it was still in his home. Rharne. Back in Ne'haer he was almost alone for a bit, a little more cautious than he usually preferred to be. Here though he felt able to relax and let it all go, just hang low like he normally would and enjoy the good times that ensued.

"Hello love," Patrick's lips twitched up into a quirk smirk towards Zana when he approached, "pleasure is, as much as it wants to be, always the mere satisfactory in seein' such a lovely face." He reciprocated her inquiry with but a wink before he looked over to the man she nodded towards. Theo. An interesting fellow to gaze upon to be sure, likely a fellow partner if not friend to Zana. The kinship seemed palpable between them at least, and Patrick could deter that the man certainly had little interest in him. Ironic how that could dramatically change within the next few trills, depending on where this conversation led to.

"Good t' meet a fellow entertainer." He quipped with a warm nod as he shook Theo's hand, the firmness of his grip released once they'd greeted one another proper. "Zana love, got anythin' strong fer me? I'm feelin' a need t' celebrate." Patrick mused once he looked to her with an eager tone, a chair next to Theo taken with a sharp lean back into it. Rather a foolish gambit if he wasn't careful with the legs, since one slip could cause the damned thing to fall back. "At first I thought about just poppin' t' say hi and all, but then suddenly it all dawned on me." He expressed to the both of them as he watched the lady fix his drink, when she returned to join them at the table he fished within his pocket, and then placed the proper amount of nel flat on the surface for her.

"Thanks love." He smiled with a nod as he lifted the glass to his lips, he didn't waste any time in chugging down whatever beverage she'd picked to serve him.

[Zana]

Patrick's arrival meant that Zana didn't get to give the witty retort she had just lined up for Theo. He was bored, she was bored and he was worried about Billie too. Theo and Billie were the only two in the place who had come out of the situation in a more positive light as far as Zana was concerned. Also, she had to admit that trying to persuade Theo to let her work again was fun in its own right and a welcome diversion.

Although, Patrick's entrance was another welcome diversion and Zana chuckled when he spoke of her lovely face. She watched him with undisguised interest as he sat down and poured him a double shot of whiskey, sliding it over to him. Zana was very used to working to seduce others but in Patrick she had more than met her match and his easy charm had quite charmed the mortalborn. Her response to his wink was a slight giggle.

"Strong and smooth," she said, as she slid the drink to him, "I hope it satisfies." For all that she found him undeniably attractive, Zana was who she was and she added, "That'll be five nel." No mates rates here, everything that should be paid for, would be. He put the nel on the table and she put her hand over his, sliding her fingers between his as she pulled the nel from underneath and then popped them into her money pouch with a slight pout. "No tip? How sad." She was teasing, that was obvious and she moved to put the money away in the cash box then glanced at Theo and walked back over to join them.

They didn't need her working the bar, the usual girl was there who'd been due to work this evening. Another thing Theo had insisted on and which Zana appreciated. She had an out, if needed, could leave if it got too much. It didn't and hadn't but it made good sense that they were cautious, she knew. So, she moved back over to them and hopped up onto a stool, her legs dangling and swinging slightly. Her skirt was long, though, because her legs were still more obviously bruised.

A fellow entertainer? Zana had found Patrick's euphemisms for what they both did for a living to be strange but endearing when they met in the tea house, and she found the same now. Lifting her own glass of water to her lips, she couldn't quite resist the smile which lifted her lips. "Well, I think you're both marvelously entertaining." Sipping the cool water, she put her glass back down and raised an eyebrow as she looked at the two men there. "What a lucky girl I am. Like the jam in an entertaining sandwich," ice blue eyes regarded them both with an expression of innocence mixed with entirely unashamed appraisal as she considered her words. Her conclusion? Well, it was simple.

"Yummy."

Lets build a house of fire, baby, not one of wood or stone.
Walk through my door of desire, baby, come on in and make me your home

[Theo Nji'Ryn]

In contrast to the newest addition to their small group at the bar, though he now rented a home in the area, Theo had spent a great deal of time and effort on numerous occasions, slipping away from the place he was raised into the Glass Quarter. Inevitably the locals would spot him if the law didn't first, and report the grubby youth who looked up to no good to the Lightening Knights. Who then in turn, ushered him right back where they said he belonged, with a warning not to return. They'd been wrong however. Theo had maintained from his earliest memories, that he belonged there and it was just a matter of time. Therefore he'd had no trouble adjusting once he'd arrived.

He watched the exchange between the two, Zana and Patrick, and his eyes briefly flickered with specks of indigo and gold before returning to their usual vibrant blue. She'd told him what the man did for a living and he found it amusing to observe the give and take between two individuals of similar livelihoods. He was curious to see which would out-charm the other, or if it would end in a draw. Theo was in a sense the third man out, so to speak, though only one of them knew it for sure. He saw no reason to otherwise clear away any assumptions made. At least not yet.

And it seemed all the more likely an assumption when Patrick referred to him as an entertainer. He smiled, thinking that it might be time after all. In part, because he was still feeling especially protective of both Zana and Billie after the events of just a few trials ago. "Not exactly," he confessed and then swallowed the last of his drink. He wasn't sure it was his first choice, to describe what happened here. But if it was? "You could say I'm more of a coordinator."

He raised a brow at Zana's remarks, an analogy that brought with it quite the visual and dripped with innuendo. She'd met her match apparently, and Patrick had probably met his. In a professional sense anyway. He grinned, but still managed to shoot her a warning glance, a reminder that she could flirt and cajole all she liked, but his timeline was firm and wouldn't be moved. And she'd keep pushing he knew, and didn't expect any different.

"You work at the Harlot, Patrick?" he asked. Of course, assuming that harlots and hounds meant what the name of the place implied, Patrick might be considered one of the latter. "Are you a native to Rharne?"

[Patrick]

As the whiskey went down with its burn Patrick hardly seemed bothered by it, save for the need to clear his throat afterwards from the burn. It felt great to have a strong liquor warm the pit of his stomach, to feel the fuzzy heat it created going down fill his chest. He definitely had a pleased grin on his expression as he enjoyed the feeling, his eyes then shot up to her when she joked about the tip. "What? I thought I'd save the tip fer later!" He mused with a wink to follow before talking to Theo, who apparently was in the same profession just played a different role than the two.

"Coordinator eh? Somebodies gotta be the one t' do it." He murmured with a chuckle before the second half of his whiskey went down, the empty shot glass placed upside down on the table in front of them. He felt a gurgle in his stomach bubble upward, creating a belch he quietly released through his nostrils. That created another burn much less pleasant for him, as his nose felt a fire brew within from the smell of his downed whiskey. "Not a bad job t' be sure but I'm more into the whole dirty business thing, love it when I've got control over clients in the bedroom."

Zana had started on about how she got much entertainment from the two of them, and somehow while she remained all innocent looking, provided a rich innuendo that aroused his intent for misbehavior all by giving such a entertaining thought. Oh did Patrick wish she were the jam between them now, he couldn't deny to himself that he wanted her. Not when she herself so confidently flaunted her own charms, indeed he'd almost forgotten the fact he was suppose to be playing a game here.

He cracked a smirk with a further lean into his chair, the sharp angle gave cause for the back legs to finally slip out from underneath. "Shit!" Before he knew it his chair fell back with him in it to crash onto the floor underneath, a loud bang heard throughout the establishment that surely caught many's attention. "I'm okay!" Pat hollered after he realized he'd hit the floor, his head and back throbbed in pain from the impact of his fall. He wasted no time to get up and make a recovery, the back of the chair lifted and turned to where its back was before him, his arms folded on the top as he looked to Theo quickly. "You were sayin'?" He checked in an effort to brush the whole thing off, with a quiet laugh of course at his own embarrassment.

"Right, the Harlot! That's my second job really, I work most days at The Bronze Boar as a bartender, while my nights are spent at the Harlot." He answered with a few rubs at the back of his head, his cheeks still red from blushing so hard. "Born and raised here in fact, grew up in Dust Town for the most part of it but I got out eventually. Lived within the Earth Quarter for a long while yet." He explained as he often looked between Theo and Zana, so they at least knew he was talking to both of them. "What about you Theo? Ya knew here like Zana or been here a long time?"

[Zana]

Theo gave a grin to her jam sandwich analogy, but there was a warning in his gaze, too. Patrick's suggestion that he'd save the tip till later caused a slow smile to cross Zana's face. "I like deferred pleasure as much as the next girl," and who knew who the next girl would be, in their line of work, "but only when forced to defer it because I'm so busy with it right now too." She shot back as she moved to put his money in the cash box and then returned to sit with them.

Just in time to hear Patrick's assessment of what he preferred about his job to Theo's. Zana knew two things with complete certainty. Especially when working, the only way that she'd be sleeping with Patrick was if he paid or worked here and right now? Well, right now, there was no amount of money that would persuade Theo to let her work. In many ways, it drove her crazy but equally, Zana understood. Never mind the bruises, a fellow professional like Patrick would understand that they happened. However, if Zana went back to work then it would put a pressure on Billie to do the same and Billie was not ready. The two of them had been attacked and, whilst Zana had got the worst of it physically, and then some, Billie was much more injured emotionally.

And that wasn't to say that Zana was entirely over it. She knew that, so did Theo.

So, as she heard what Patrick said, Zana glanced at Theo, gauging his reaction to that. Not having yet perched back on her stool, she put her arm around Theo, over his shoulder with her hand on his chest. "Control comes in all sorts of guises." Zana's eyes were on Patrick, even though her hands were on Theo and her body very much leaned towards her handler. "Here, every aspect of what I do is a shared responsibility." If there was one thing that Zana knew and understood better than anything, it was that she relied on her handler. Therefore, whilst he was in that role, Zana was loyal to Theo.

Whilst she and Patrick shared a job role, it was important that she and Theo maintained their relationship. They reflected off each other, after all and her work here was dependent on him as his was on her. So she held herself close to Theo, her hand trailing over his chest and she hoped that it was clear that, should Patrick want a taste of what the Lap of Luxury had to offer or what she did, it was Theo he was going through, not her.

Patrick looked at her, again, with undisguised hunger and Zana felt the familiar rush which accompanied that. Her icy eyes showed her desire for him and then, suddenly, widened as Patrick disappeared, falling backwards as his chair gave way. Zana's first, honest and immediate reaction was to turn and bury her head in Theo's shoulder, hiding the snort of laughter which accompanied the way that Patrick went from seductive and charming to cluttered heap on the floor. She kept the spasms of laughter quiet, but the sudden shift in her feelings, her response, it was inevitable that it showed and so she got herself together as quickly as she could.

"No one saw a thing," Zana said, although the mirth in her eyes told a very different tale. She kept her eyes on Patrick and as for her hands on Theo, she followed his lead there since her point was made. As Patrick talked about his work, in a bar during the day and a brothel during the night, Zana listened. Once Theo had answered, though, she had a question of her own. "What sort of set up do they have at the Harlot and Hound? Do you have handlers or work solo? And what sort of restriction to your extra-curricular behaviour do they impose?" There was a reason that she asked, and she gave the example. "What if one of your regulars saw you in the Bronze Boar and wanted your time. Would there be an expectation there?"

What about dark, what about light? What about wrong, what about right?
What about sex, what about sin? What about this web I'm here to spin?

[Theo Nji'Ryn]

"It has it's perks," Theo admitted with a meaningful smile when Patrick commented on the nature of his role at the lap, and just as Zana draped herself across his shoulder and splayed a hand across his chest. Of course she knew the true nature of it all, and chances were, the other man had some idea. Either way, Theo saw no reason to add that the role had come, not with perks alone, but with its own array of challenges. Even dangers. As for the nature of the business, it wasn't the sort of dirty that Patrick referred to. But as Zana knew as well as him, hands did get dirty.

She was correct though. Neither of them could do their jobs well without the other. Similar applied to his other girl Billie. He was their handler, but in some ways it was also a partnership. Even if he'd have spoken to that effect, the other man put stop to all other conversation by toppling over to the floor, stool and all. One of his hands was occupied already, cradling Zana's waist when he'd wrapped his arm around her. The other had been holding his drink. Impulse hadn't tempted him anyway to reach out and stop it. Momentum and gravity wouldn't have done the other man any favors. And more importantly, Theo either.

The sound that burst out of Zana was unlike any he'd heard before. At least not from her, and he genuinely grinned and laughed when she pressed her face up against him. And before it was done, he took advantage of her proximity by dipping his head and nibbling at the tender pulse point behind her ear. Patrick wasn't harmed by all accounts, and was already hauling himself off the floor. Of course the assertion that no one had seen a thing was relative, for every eye in the room had turned their way at the sound of the crash, and there was a good deal of hushed laughter that had traveled round the space before dying away.

He said nothing of the incident, though he was still grinning. "I grew up in the Dust Quarter myself," Theo said when Patrick asked. "Left there several arcs ago and I've barely been back since. I guess you might have moved on by the time I was coming up." Who knew? There were countless boys, and girls too, brought up on those dirty streets and in the alleyways. After a while, one face began to look like another, usually covered in grime as they were. Still, there was a sort of kindred thing in shared origins. Things known and understood that others could hardly imagine, not having lived it.

But, he'd added, he'd only been there at the Lap of Luxury for a handful of trials. Fewer than Zana in fact. As for her questions, Theo was as curious as her to hear the answers. Neither might explain the reasons why they were important. But between them, they both knew.

Meanwhile, one of those who'd witnessed the great fall wandered over after concluding that the man would be no customer of Zana's that evening. Theo wouldn't allow it. It was a curvaceous brunette, scantily dressed and her eyes full of promise. But also amusement as she touched Patrick's shoulder and leaned in close to his ear. "You know, love, if you were trying to get a good look under somebody's skirts tonight, there's more interesting and pleasurable ways to go about it. Less likely to leave a mark too....Unless of course", she added as she pulled back and smiled. "you're into that sort of thing." Turning, she let her fingertips trail slowly off her shoulder as she gave Patrick a meaningful glance and sauntered away.

[Patrick]

Patrick's sense of sight played a heavy part in the came of courting, so he couldn't afford to be oblivious to the signs present before him. The way that Zana seemed to lean into Theo and rest her hand on him, implied well enough the deeper reliance and trust they both shared. Yes that much was plain to see, and trust was definitely important to have; particularly in this lucrative sort of business.

"I can imagine so." He reasoned as he watched the two with yet another yearned stare, already his mouth began to water from the temptation these to created. He so despised being cursed with whatever this bite was, all he knew so far was that it heavily influenced his impulses to no end. Aggravation easily became anger but thankfully that wasn't often, however lust and desire were heavily tied with the aspect of his daily life. One could say it nearly served as his bread and butter, so the fact he no longer could maintain a full control over it? Well anybody could easily say that would easily be a great hindrance, that is if they were living in his shoes at the current moment.

Oh how he craved to have Zana under his control for just one night, he would've paid well enough to make it happen too. Except right now he needed his money for other purposes, especially if he planned to start his own little organization as intended. Once his transgression took place and he found himself back in place from the floor, he paid more attention to Theo as the man spoke of his background. He just so happen to be a fellow Duster much like Patrick, and managed to work his way up to a higher place in life too. Must have if he worked here within the Glass Quarter, the bartender gave him commendable props on being able to accomplish that.

Zana then asked him how things worked at the Harlot 'n' Hound, and for a moment he took a moment to consider his answer. "It's... different." He mused with a chuckle as he drummed his fingers on the table. "We're definitely more loose with our routine, just put ourselves out there and 'advertise' t' any clients who wander in. As far as restriction goes of course, so long as I'm able t' perform then the rest doesn't matter." He summarized with a cheeky grin as he hadn't notice the brunette's approach, that is until her hand rested on his shoulder and warm breath murmured into his ear. His became a look of genuine interest the moment he heard her, the sweet promise of possibility created a delightful sensation within.

Yes. He would go for that as well. It was typically easy to catch Patrick's eye, especially if you were a woman with interest. "Oh I know who I'm gonna be busy with fer a couple breaks." He admitted with a devious grin as he turned back to the two, after casually watching the brunette walk away with admirable features. "Mm." Pat chimed just before a chuckle was released. "Can't help but imagine the fun we'd have, particularly with the two o' you." He implied for the sake of amusement, he did after all like to see what he could get away with.

[Zana]

As Theo's hand slipped around her waist, Zana drew closer to him, one hand on his chest, which the other quickly joined. The message she gave was clear, she hoped, to both of the men at the table and ice colored eyes watched with interest. Patrick spoke about control, Theo demonstrated it and she had to acknowledge that she helped that.

The air was heavier, somehow, from the moment that she felt Theo's hand curl round her waist. The way that Patrick watched them both as Zana wrapped her arm around Theo was hungry. She was used to that sort of look from men and women, but the intensity of Patrick’s desire surprised her. Zana put it down to not having worked since the attack, not aware of the monster which resided inside Patrick. Her surprise at his intensity made her wonder whether she was as ready as she thought she was.

Yet all concerns about such lightened at Patrick's falling. It felt good to laugh and she realised as she did that the laugh which came from Theo was new; a different sound than any other she had heard. She would have whispered something to him but the gentle feel of his mouth nibbling at the back of her ear, where he knew she was sensitive turned the chuckle into a deep groan. Her hand on his chest constricted as she lifted her head with fire in her eyes.

"Perks?" Zana asked Theo, her whispered voice betraying her depth of feeling. Her rate of breathing had quickened and she watched the brunette approaching Patrick with undisguised and unashamed interest. Patrick’s comment about the fun that the four them could have caused a slow smile to lift Zana’s lips. One eyebrow quirked slightly at the very clear visual image she suddenly had, but Zana knew that Theo was not likely to be moved from his position. She understood and respected that so, as she spoke she kept her hands on her handler, which was far from a hardship, after all.

”Well, that’s a beautiful picture, to be sure,” trailing a hand through his hair, Zana spoke the simple truth of it, albeit wrapped in innuendo. ”The way things work here are simple. I go where Theo puts me.” Nodding at Robyn, though, Zana added, ”she’s one of our best. You’re unlikely to regret the nel, I promise you.” That was true no matter how many people were in the room with him.

With fingers trailing over Theo's chest, her body pressed close to his, Zana wondered what kind of a man Patrick was. Would he pay? If he wanted Robyn, then he would. It depended very much what he wanted.

Or who.

She can leave you to love, she can take you or leave you.
She can ask for the truth, but she'll never believe you.