"Evening, Hrurim." one of my guys greeted as I walked towards the backdoor of the Madame's establishment.
"Evening." I reply back with a tip of my flat cap. And as usual, my nose crinkled and contorted at the strong smell of this place. The noises, however, I had long since gotten used to. I found that amusing, the smell was always what hit me first yet I didn't mind the noise.
"Sir..." one of the Madame's aelenvari girls let out with their usual mixture of drug-induced haze and lust.
"Stick to the customers." I remind them before I guided them down the hallway so they could go bring one in.
"Looking for the Madame?" one of her personal bodyguards asked me as I walked into the lounge before her office.
"I guess." I answer with a shrug. The spiral-tram did have some interesting goods on board, but I wasn't sure if it was necessary. I knew that the Madame wanted to refresh what she had and put some of it away for quality control purposes. But was it really worth the effort?
I know what she said would be what goes, but even then...
"I think she is in a meeting right now, so you might have to wait a bit, Hrurim." they tell me after checking their watch.
"You're on my payroll and you stop me? I'm offended." I dryly joke before I sat down on the thankfully clean sofa. Even if the personal behaviours of the Madame made it a difficult process. She didn't like to sit so much as well, lounge, so all the chairs and sofas accommodated for that.
Either I laid down like her, or I had nothing to support my back well enough. However, I could say I was used to it. So I just leaned forwards and picked up a news tablet to keep myself occupied. But I skipped the news and moved straight onto the advertisements section.
I couldn't really put my finger on it, but I enjoyed looking out for local businesses. They were in no danger of going, but these Union guys were bringing with them strong competition. Which, was a little hard to get as their men creeped most of us out. No response, the Madame declared them a dead market near-instantly...
"You hear about how the war is going, Hrurim?" one of the bodyguards asked me.
"Union is winning?" I most likely guess correctly as that was really all these things ever published. Even with their supposed honesty policy regarding the war, they twisted their words to make a hollow victory out of everything.
"Yeah, just pushed through another one of the Theocracy's big cities."
"Come on Theocracy, beat 'em back." I dryly joke before looking up at the air around me. I then sighed at the lack of a sudden appearance of emerald light. I didn't really have anything against the Union, but, I liked to play a little dangerously with the stories. Betray the King at Lunar's Peak and a red wind will depart you.
Maybe it was just a load of rubbish, or, maybe His Majesty appreciated my sense of humour!
The door to the Madame's office then opened up, "We bear in mind."
"Ivahstar." I say with a nod as the overworked father of one walked past me.
"Alright?" he asks back with a nod before he leaves the lounge without another word. Which, reminded me, I did owe him a few drinks. If he was going to linger, maybe I should settle that debt. Can't imagine he will, though, what with his daughter and all.
"Ah, my darling, come here!" the Madame beckoned when she noticed me. It was all an act, however, one I refused to play into. Even if she did keep it up despite my clear lack of interest.
"All is well, Madame?" I asked her politely as I took off my hat and held it before me. Watching with some interest as the peculiar foreign beauty swayed back into her long chair.
"I'm a little frustrated, but, I suppose I can't do much to solve other people's problems." she answers, to which I could only assume it was to do with Ivahstar. It was no secret after all that he and his daughter were held hostage for a brief period. The story was a little wild, however. An osibindah?
Laughable.
"Well, if it is any consolation, I have made some progress with one of our problems."
"A dreadful, wilted flower is passing by?" she asks me as she leans her head over the chair. Rattling her jewellery in the process before she decided to unveil her light brown leg fully.
"No, but some of its petals have been caught on the wind." I point out.
She then sits up confused, "There are prime goods just... Walking by?"
"They have recently arrived in town, yes. I even made a point of helping one with her luggage just to make sure I was sensing their power correctly." I explain, but I had a feeling it was the red-haired one that was more important. She carried herself too highly not to be.
"Eugh, then that is useless. We can't just grab them in open orbitlight." she complains before she motions for me to leave. But, I hold up my hand and interrupt that silent request.
"Which is what I obviously concluded after following them for a bit. Yet, I then caught sight of a golden treasure in her arms." I point out for her.
"Oh, Darling, don't leave me in the dark like this!" she complains as she leans over her desk while making sure her chest was relatively free.
Keeping my eyes on hers, "They had a baby boy with them."
And she just lit up with excitement, "That is a golden treasure! Worth more than all the gold in the world!" she cackles.
"So it is worth keeping an eye on them?"
"Just an eye? I want you to take them in your arms and hug them as tight as you can!" she corrects in her own way with an ecstatic shiver.
"They would have to travel very far for that moment to come." I remind her. Not that she probably needed that reminder, she was near-perpetually bitter about the failed market. Those Union guys felt nothing which just did not do for a place like this. This establishment thrived on sensual sensations, and they reacted to none.
"I don't care how long we must be parted, Darling, I want that treasure!" she demands from me with a firm but still gentle tap of her desk.
"Of course, Madame. And what of the petals accompanying it?"
"Is one of them the mother?"
"I believe so." I tell her with some uncertainty as the one doing the labour seemed very pushy about the child. Yet, it was the red-haired one holding him.
"Then grab them if you can, but I want the Treasure more." she tells me before she turns to gaze out across her establishment.
"I'll set in place the preparations." I say before I turn and leave. Closing the door behind me before I then stopped a few steps away. A few ideas were coming into my head, but maybe I should get another opinion here... There was just no way an aelenvari baby boy was travelling like this.
Where was the father...? The flower? Were they en route to one? If so, that dramatically shifted the circumstances I was under.
I was on a strict timer regardless, but what would happen as the clock ticked away made a lot of difference. If this became a bloody affair, the quietness we have been trying to keep would ruin it. The Union may have been at war, with those troops outside being little more than a yet-to-leave reserve force... But they would come knocking if they found our guys dead out there.
But, if that was the case, then I'd probably be staying out of this job even though I headed these things. It was a risky one, and I had no intentions of dying or being shot at or whipped by blades. So, I will probably just grab some of my best and send them out. Make it clear what we were after, besides, two dainty petals and a baby, shouldn't be hard.
"I do need someone to keep a watchful eye on them, however..." I ponder out loud before I remember Ivahstar would still be in town.
"Look at him speeding off." I heard someone comment before I stopped by them. This clearly scared them a bit but I was not angry or that.
"Did you see a hwardgon pass by?"
"Yeah, one just went straight out across the main floor."
"Great..." I mutter before I open the door to the main exhibition as the Madame liked to put it. And she was probably watching me right now as I roughly shoved aside her property on my way to try and stop Ivahstar.
"Hm?" he let out as he came to a stop just before the door. From a brief glance as well, I saw that one of the aelenvari girls thought he might've stopped because of her. But, with how much I enjoyed turning them away, I moved us outside.
"So, about those drinks I owe you?" I start off with while he gives me a raised brow.
"Strong." he answers before I let him guide me to wherever he wished to drain me of Workmans. To my surprise somewhat as well, he took me to a shooting club.
"Late night session, boys?" the waitress asked as we walked in.
"Two strong." Ivahstar answers before he then just heads on out to the range. Which, probably meant only one thing.
"You alright, Heiya?" I asked the prone girl before she fired the gun one more time at the shot out target. She then ate up all the applause before she smiled at me. Having rolled over slightly to wave.
"Want to try against me?" she asks me with a snicker as some of the club's regulars dropped some Workmans in a pot.
"No, I don't think I will." I answer with an amused huff before I sit down next to her father.
"Job?" he seemed to ask almost pleadingly. Which, I can't say I blame him for. He's had a few bad runs as of late. All of which seem to involve osibindah.
So I made a quick gesture to Guareroisncer to try and ward off his bad luck.
"Yeah, the Madame is now aware of an aelenvari son moving through her backyard. She, obviously, wants it for her own keeping. Vanity or an actual good reason, who knows." I say to him. But, the details seemed to have him on guard.
"No, no. Son no go."
"It's him and two aelenvari with a petal's level of magic." I clarify in order to ease him into the offer. Which, thankfully worked.
"Saunds aaa bit straaange." Heiya points out as she leans on the back of his chair.
"The circumstances are strange, yes, but that is what makes them so workable. There are no other aelenvari moving by the town. So, we catch them in a dead spot, we stop them from ever getting to their flower."
"Good pay?"
"Not a question I can answer as I have not even talked about hiring outside help."
"Needs good pay."
"It's an aelenvari's son, you'll wrestle a fortune out of her yet." I remind him.
"Aur rale?" Heiya asks, and I consider her words due to her accent. Thought I was used to it by now, but, hey-ho.
"To keep an eye on them as they travel out of town, they're packed too heavily to be staying here."
"Communication?"
"We'll have to sort it out, but there is a chance we will be doing this rather detached from each other given the presence of the Union..." I say to him quietly, gesturing waywardly at the collection of officers who were here.
"Two strong ain't very helpful, but here you go." the waitress from before says as she brings us two small glasses.
"This'll do fine, thank you." I tell her before I give it a quick taste to see how strong it was. The burn was just right, I had to admit. Could already feel my tongue healing from when I accidentally bit it during my onboard meal back into town.
He, however, only needed to give it a quick sniff, "Tomorrow. Come by."
"Can do," I say before I hand over the required Workmans, convulsing slightly as I gulped the rest down, "See you then."
"Came baaack with aaa baaackbane!" Heiya teases before I see her head back to the prone position to show up some more patrons. I think I even caught sight of interested Union officers.
Then, with a satisfied sigh, I walked back out into the open street. A slight tap in my step as I made my way to the descending river at the edge of the town. Thankfully it was quiet up here about this time of day. So I could look down at the town without an issue.
Yet, instead, I found that red-haired aelenvari up here by her lonesome. So I just moved over to the edge of the viewing platform. Popping out my pipe before I then puffed on it. Our eyes did briefly meet, however.
She seemed to pay no mind to me, though. Something was clearly on her mind and I was willing to bet we shared a common topic. But even up here, on her lonesome, clearly bothered by something as the wind went through her hair. She still held the confidence of more than just a simple petal.
"Now I wonder..." I comment under my breath between a couple of puffs.