Pretty please, with a cherry on top!

[Rhindeer]

Two days? Wow. Cherry had almost expected to get to work right away, not that he was complaining! This was a lot to take in, so, he really appreciated having time to adjust and learn the ropes.

Including learning who was who and what gender.

Hoo boy, what had he just gotten himself into...?

Whatever! He could do this! He'd overcome worse before, so what was a little teasing? Nodding at Peach's instructions wordlessly, it was probably pretty obvious that he was just keen on getting out of that room and hitting the hay, but despite his own subtle desperation to be free of that room and its embarrassing memories and damned aphrodisiacs (seriously, how the heck did Peach function with that scent bearing down on him? It had to be uncomfortable, ahem, unless...he was just...used to it and it no longer affected him?) he still listened to everything his new "boss" said. Okay. Blue door, left, four doors, second on the left. Talk to Fiona (thank Gods, an actual she!). And...

Punished?!

Cherry did not want to know. And he was not going to find out, either.

Swallowing at Peach's dangerous look, he nodded quickly in understanding. "Right. Nice place. I'll be careful."

That said, once he was dismissed, he scooped up his bag and scurried his "little butt" out of the room, hardly hearing what Peach said about visiting him. In that room. Hah! Like hell! He didn't want to be molested again!

...Forgetting that it was you that made the moves first, are we? Tsk, tsk.

Whatever...he'd stick to asking the other members. Who were girls.

He was kind of wary about the guys here.

Padding his way downstairs and running a hand through his red hair, just to make sure it wasn't all suspiciously disheveled, he soon found the blue door Peach was talking about, and through there he found the other rooms. Easy enough directions, which was good, because Cherry was practically jogging, not really wanting to run into anyone else just yet--ahem, yes, the damned insense was taking some time to wear off, augh! Alright...second door on the left...

Please say there were no aphrodisiacs in here...

Cracking open the door, he poked his head in cautiously, as though to make sure no one was in there. And also to take a nice breath of the air, which was...clean, and blessedly free of the smell of insence! Yes! Once that was established, he finally took the time to actually look at the room.

And fund it notably bare. There was a dresser and a bed, and that was about it. All very plain and sterile, a stark contrast from the rest of the place, but Cherry wasn't complaining. All he really needed was a bed. He'd been living out of his bag for who knows how long and sleeping on the ground. Really, this was great, and for the time being, he honestly couldn't think of anything he would need. Well...guess he had plenty of time to give it some thought.

Slipping into the room, he shut the door behind him and turned to lock the door. Except...he twitched. There was no lock. Not even a little flimsy sliding lock. Nothing! Cherry twitched again and bit his bottom lip. Er...well...okay. What was he being skittish about? He was in a room with a roof over his head! Worse could happen to him when he was sleeping outside and unprotected with only the night sky as a ceiling! Why should he get worried over the lack of a lock? Right. He shouldn't. Still, it bothered him for some reason.

After all...this was a brothel. High class, but still a brothel.

Erk.

Shrugging his shoulders uncomfortably, Cherry plopped his bag down on the ground and made his way over to his bed, then, without a second thought, flopped right onto it, face first. Oh man...this...was going to be interesting, he had a feeling, and he sighed a little and yanked the pillow down and under his head, too lazy to scoot further up onto the bed. He still didn't know what he was thinking accepting a job like this, but...beggars couldn't be choosers, right?

Whatever the case was...this day had certainly left him drained. And it wasn't long before he had drifted off to sleep.

[Anonymous]

There was a light knock on Cherry's door sometime the next day, while the exhausted man was still sleeping. Not soon after, the door swung open, the lack of a lock not missed on the intruder.

"Gah! Soias, what are you doing!?" A hushed, angry whisper.

"I'm gonna say hi to the new guy." Not quite so hushed or angry.

"He's sleeping!"

"So?"

"So that means he's tired and we should leave him alone!"

"No, that means he's a bum for sleeping in until noon!"

"Ah, Soias, wait...!"

A sudden weight landed gruffly on top of Cherry, probably on his chest if he were laying on his back.
"Wake up new guy!! It's noon! You shouldn't still be in bed!" And thus she yelled this right into his face.
Everyone, I'd like you to meet Soias, the 17 year old brothel house bouncer.

...No, seriously.

Probably the first thing Cherry would see when he did open his eyes was green. Not because it was her hair color, or gods forbid, her skin color. No, it was because that was the color makeup she was wearing. Bold emerald on her eyelids, that whisped out to a point on either side of her eyes. There was a square of lighter green lipstick in the middle of her bottom lip (makes me think Queen Amidala...>_O). The next most obvious thing were the red eyes staring rather intensely into Cherry's face. They were a bright, liquid red, almost like fresh blood. They were in a face that was well tanned and healthy, like the rest of her body. She was fairly slender, but at 5' 6", had enough muscle to make sitting on Cherry uncomfortable for him.
Her hair was short and messy, with bangs that hung off to one side, nearly covering her right eye. These bangs were a light orange, but the hair on top of her head was a vibrant blue, with orange poking out near the bottoms from beneath all this blue. It created an interesting two-toned effect.
On her top was a simple purple vest that laced up the front. She wasn't particularly busty, so it didn't have the effect of making her look sultry or anything like that. It did leave her arms bare though, to show that she indeed had some muscle. On each upper arm she had an identical tattoo. It wound all the way around her arm, like an armband, and was a solid black.
On her lower half was a pair of tight black pants that cut off at about mid-thigh. On her feet were green boots that tied up with ribbon to her ankles.
"Wake up, wake up....!" She bounced on him, as if he probably wasn't awake already.

Finally, two large dark arms grabed her and literally lifted her off Cherry. They belonged to a man that had to be a good six feet tall. Against that dark skin, one's eyes were immediately drawn to the metallic silver shirt that hugged his muscular chest. It was currently tucked into a pair of dark crimson pants that were form-fitting, but not exactly tight. Those followed into a pair of heavy black boots. His long hair was the color of clear ocean waves. Not the greenish ones, but the ones that were an unbelievable blue. It was tied in a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck. His kind eyes were a bright, new-leaf green.
This is Jofei, the other bouncer, and official damage control officer of Soias.
Yes, really.

"I'm really sorry about her." He said, still calmly holding Soias up, practically over his head. She just had her bare arms crossed and didn't struggle, an annoyed look on her face.
"Um, I'm Jofei, and this is Soias. We're the other bouncers here. We just came to say hello..."

[Rhindeer]

Unfortunately for Cherry, he was a rather deep sleeper. Which meant the knock on the door went unheard, and he continued to snooze on peacefully, snoring lightly as he slept on his back. Hell, Cherry didn't even hear the voices that soon filled the room as the door was opened and two people entered. In fact, he didn't even twitch. Nah, he was out and deep into the REM cycle of sleep and having a rather lovely dream, as a matter of fact! And, would ya look at that...the dream involved girls. That were actually girls! Not guys dressed up girls. Nope, they had boobs and nothing pokey between their legs, huzzah!

Indeed, it was a really, really nice dream. And yes, his brain was working overtime in an effort to soothe his bruised pride and make him forget that he'd come onto a guy. Ew. Ewewew! Maybe his brain was overcompensating, but whatever! He'd been traumatized and his mind apparently thought that he needed to be reminded of the wonders of the female species after that nasty little encounter.

And it was juuust getting to the good part, you know, the clothes taking off part when a sudden weight on his chest snapped him right out of the dream. Because, well, deep sleeper or not--he wasn't that deep of a sleeper and that felt just a wee bit too realistic!

Cherry gave a start and snapped his eyes open, and his bleary eyes didn't even have a chance to focus on what the heck was on him before whatever it was was screaming in his face. If being landed on hadn't woken him up, that most certainly had! "GYAH!" He jolted and actually flailed a little, his hands shooting up instinctively to grab the first thing he could--which happened to be the girl's shoulders, though he was still far too sleepy to remember to shove at them. "W-w-wha--who the--?" He was also far too disoriented to form actual words.

Indeed, that was the weirdest thing to wake up to in the morning, but Cherry wasn't as focused on the girl's odd looks as he was on the fact that, well...a girl was bouncing on his chest and telling him to wake up when he was clearly already awake. A girl. In his bedroom. In a brothel. Jumping onto his chest while he was in bed.

Yeah. Little awkward. Especially considering what he'd been dreaming about.

Okay, dreams were one thing. A real girl bouncing on his chest was another. Gasping as his rib cage bent with every bounce (she wasn't much shorter than him and man, muscle weighed a lot!), he finally had the sense enough to try and shove her off. But before his hands could actually push, something else managed to pull her off him first.

Cherry wasted no time in scrambling around on the bed to sit up, leaning back on his hands and gaping, green eyes wide, as a much taller, equally odd man held the girl effortlessly above his head. What the...?! What...? Still slightly disoriented, Cherry could only blink rapidly and rub at his eyes with one hand while rubbing at his slightly sore chest with the other. How did they...who were they?! Oh...yeah...damnit, the lock! He had no lock! Augh! He knew it was a bad idea not to have a lock in a brothel! Fiona...yeah! He made a note to himself then and there to ask Fiona about gettig a lock. Maybe it was all well and good to everyone else, but if this was going to be how it was...he wanted a lock!

"Uh...um...hello..." Cherry greeted dully, still half awake and yawning. Just wanted to say hello? Erg. That was one hell of a hello. Blinking, he ran a hand through his disheveled red hair before letting it slide down to his face, where it stayed. "Ugh...whatever happened to knocking...?"

Okay, probably not the nicest way to say hello. But gie him a break! He was being awfully polite considering!

Yawning loudly again, he shook his head slowly. "Ah...well...I'm Cherry and...yeah, I'm a bouncer too...in two days at least, heh. And..." And he just couldn't help it. Maybe it was because he was all loopy, but he just couldn't help but look straight over at Soias and ask, absolutely seriously, "...Are you really a girl?"

[Anonymous]

Jofei smiled sheepishly as Cherry rubbed his chest, knowing full well that Soias wasn't exactly light as a feather.
More like dead weight.
Shifting his hold on her, he looped one muscular arm around her waist and held her like that, her arms still crossed as she still did not struggle or ask to be put down.
Watching him, she couldn't help but think that he was pretty wimpy for a bouncer. All she had done was jump on his chest a few times...
It couldn't have hurt that badly...
Psh.

Cherry's remark earned a rather loud 'Hmph!' from Soias, who was quick to clue him in. "We did knock, you just didn't hear it. It's like noon man, you gotta get up." She was shaken lightly by Jofei, and she frowned harder and looked away, obviously reprimanded by the large man.
Jofei sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to knock too loud and wake you up, but then this one..." He gave a small smile, not really needing to fill in any more than he already had. Soias was definately a hand full.
But she did her job, and did it well.
She was a good kid, really. Just a bit...misdirected. Hell, she WAS working in a brothel as a bouncer, after all...

Soias blinked those liquid red eyes at him when he said his name. "Cherry? Really, that's your name? Like, your REAL name, not like how Peach is just a nickname...?"
And then she laughed.
Until Jofei jerked her in his arm again, and she had to shut up with an "Oomph!" To accompany it as his arm cut sharply into her gut.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Cherry." Jofei said politely, bowing his head slightly.
It was then this Cherry asked a very odd question.
And Jofei couldn't stop what happened next.

"A girl? Um, let me check for you..."
"Ah, no, Soias...!"
Too late.
Soias calmly yanked down on her vest, showing that she did, indeed, have breasts. Looking down at them consideringly, she then pulled the vest back up and looked back to Cherry, totally straight faced.
"Yeah, I think I'm really a girl. I could check elsewhere for you..." And she went for the front of her pants.
"SOIAS!" Jofei literally roared, and flipped the girl onto his shoulder before she could flash the poor man any more.
Soias literally squeaked, but lay still after that.

Jofei looked a bit flustered at his charge's behavior, and bowed deeply to Cherry.
"I am really, really sorry about her..."
Soias waved an arm from her place on his broad shoulder.
"Get used to it Cherry, you have to deal with me every day..."

[Rhindeer]

All in all...Cherry didn't think he liked Soias very much. At least, he didn't like her very much right now.

Then again, he very much did not like getting woken up by some girl bouncing on his chest. And he was really despising the fact that he had no lock. Yep. Time to see Fiona about that, or he'd go insane. But, really...what if he slept naked?! And people just walk on in like it's nothing. Come to think of it...there was more than one reason why it was good he didn't sleep naked. Not just because of the "people walking in on you, AH!" factor, but because...it was a brothel.

Yes. Family looking people or not, they were still almost naked! Yep. Naked family.

Cherry still vaguely wondered how he got himself into this mess, and he couldn't help but question his own morals. Heh. What morals? His morals, he guessed, really only extended to his coin purse and stomach and dry clothes and warm body. Oh well. Wasn't like the people here acted depressed. If it was one of those kinds of prostitution houses, he would have been out of there in a flash! Though, he probably should have already, considering the stunt Peach had pulled.

Oh well.

He couldn't help but snort at Soias' comment and was about to say, "well, knock harder next time!", but then she mentioned the time. Noon? Noon>?! GAH! He never slept that late! Cherry sat up just a little straighter and swung his legs over the side of the bed, planting them on the floor. "Noon! How...? I swear I don't normally sleep in this late," he said hurriedly, not really wanting to get a bad reputation here early on as, "oh yeah, that one lazy bouncer guy". That would be bad! Rising to his feet quickly, he stretched his arms out over his head and looked at Soias as she questioned his name.

Then he grimaced and blushed lightly as she laughed, though she was promptly shook and cut off. Still, he held up a hand and waved it dismissively. "No, nah, it's okay...uh...it is kinda weird. Well, okay, really weird. My parents...they were kinda eccentric." That was putting it tamely, and he rubbed the tattoo on his cheek as though for emphasis. Unfortunately, it wasn't the only one on his body. "I'm used to it, really, heh. Pleasure to meet you too, Jofei. And Soi--"

Any other words he'd been about to say were lost. Because Soias? Yeah. She took his question a wee but too literally.

...And yanked down her vest.

Yep. Definitely a girl. And Cherry did stare, open-mouthed and gaping, because, well...they were rather nice. At least, they were until his mind started functioning enough again to remind him to be embarrassed, because that just wasn't proper! GAH!

A bright red blush spread over his cheeks, rivalling the red of his cherry tattoo, and his green eyes widened to the size of large saucers. With a gasp, he quickly averted his eyes and tipped his head down politely until she'd fixed her top, and he wasn't even looking when she asked her next question. Still, it did elicit attention, and he jerked his head up and waved his arms quickly in a sort of "cease and desist!" fashion.

"NO, THAT'S OKAY!" he yelped loudly at the same moment Jofei roared her name, and thank the powers that be, but she stopped once Jofei flipped her over onto his shoulder. Heaving a sigh of relief and shooting an appreciative look Jofei's way, he shook his head slowly and rubbed his face with a hand. He felt like he was on fire.

"No...no...not your fault," he muttered into his hand. "This is a brothel. I knew what I was getting myself into."

That is, until Soias made her little comment.

Cherry groaned. And loudly.

No. Actually, he hadn't known what he was getting into...

"Oh...goody..."

[Anonymous]

Soias honestly hadn't been expecting Cherry to stare so open-mouthed at her chest. Hmm, maybe it was time to compare chest-size to some of the women around here. Maybe she had grown...
And those were the only thoughts to run through her head.
Surprising, but though she lived in a brothel, Soias had hardly any concept of the word 'sex', in any variation.
She was...
...totally oblivious.

To be honest, Cherry's reaction amused the benevolent Jofei to no end. Sometimes even he forgot that Soias was a girl in her prime, and that guys would stare if given proper ah...motivation.
Still, he was also totally aware that Soias was also oblivious, which only made it all that much more amusing to him.
He outright chuckled as Cherry mentioned that he was working in a brothel. "Yes well, that is true..."
But he didn't mention how oblivious the girl was. Though he was interested to see if Cherry's gaze would be drawn to her rump, which was currenly the most visable thing on her, and was in a pair of tight pants.

Soias wrenched herself around as he groaned, latching onto poor Jofei's head for leverage, as his heavy arm was still across her back, holding her in place.
"Hey! I'm the one who's gonna be showing you around, so suck it up!"
Jofei sighed and finally set Soias down, not exactly comfortable with his head being yanked backward so she could see over him.
"Yes, well, she's right. I'm on shift right now, so she's going to have to show you around. Honestly she's not a bad kid or anything. You just have to...expect the unexpected." With that, he ruffled Soias' two toned hair, the haughty girl standing with her arms crossed over her vested chest.

[Goldie]

"I told you!  We don't have any work!" The woman exclaimed as Rayne begged on the doorstep of her inn.  She had been trying so hard to find some sort of job...to find some way to support her family.  Her two children were cradled close to her breast in a makeshift sling so her arms were free.

"Please..." she pleaded again, "I need to find work...I can't support them if I have no food!  Please...please just let me do anything, give me the smallest task!"  It was clear what the woman thought of her...it was the same that everyone else believed.  They didn't see a starving, single mother...no, they saw a whore who had been stupid enough to get pregnant and was no living off of the streets.  They didn't know her predicament, and their speculations were inaccurate.

In the beginning she had found some small jobs here and there which had allowed her to eat and in eating, she was able to nurse her children.  Now, after weeks without food her bones jutted out, her cheeks sunken from malnutrition, and she had long since dried out.  Now the only way she could feed her children was if someone was kind enough to offer her coin, or milk, and every penny of coin she used to feed her children.

Now she was nearing her last leg.  The pain from her heart continuously increased with each passing day while a bruise slowly spread over her breast, showing her how far the heartache had spread.  It had started out as a pinprick, but now it was the size of an apple, encompassing one breast in a deep purple and green splotch.

"I told you!  We have nothing!  Now please leave, you're making a scene!"  In the past, Rayne would have cried, but her tears had long since dried up just as effectively as her milk and she just stared up at the woman, desperation written all over her face.  It was that last look that seemed to touch the woman.

"I can give you some food, and milk for the babes..." she said after a moments hesitation, "But we truly don't have any work.  You might want to think about going back to what you left in the first place."  It stung, being labled a prostitute, but that also wasn't new to her, and she would accept any kindness she was offered.  The woman disappeared and soon returned with a loaf of bread and two bottles of goats milk for the twins.

"Thank you.." Rayne muttered, accepting the gifts with as much humility as a starving woman could muster.

"Can you....can you tell me where I might find...." she winced as she said it, "A house?  I can't support them...I...I should go back."  yup, she just confirmed what the lady had suspected, even if it wasn't true, but hopefully the woman would have some idea.

"I'm loath to do this, but," she gave her directions to the Peaches n' Cream brothel, and Rayne thanked her again, not worrying about how the woman knew, just thankful that she might have a haven....

No matter how demoralizing...

With another whisper of thanks she left the woman's doorstep and sat down in a nearby alley, pulling the bottles out and feeding her babes.  She would eat the bread after they had their fill.  Both Zawayn and Eolynne took to the food quickly, gulping down the milk as if it was only a teaspoon and immediately began to wail for more.  They would know...soon enough...that there was no more, and their tears would cease to flow.  it was always like this after Rayne found food for them and there was nothing she could do to soothe them...they were hungry...she knew....

But not for long.  She would find this brothel and she would then be able to feed them and they would get stronger and grow...

Scarfing down the loaf of bread, she stood and began finding her way towards this Peach place the woman had told her about.

look for a mahogany door

She was looking...and...yes!  there it was!  It seemed to stand out among the other shops that were nearby and it was the exact address that she had been given.  She was here....

It's amazing...that nearly three months ago she would have scorned the thought of entering a whore house...but now the very door made her sigh with excitement.  Perhaps...perhaps this would be the end of her suffering, of her children's suffering...perhaps she would be able to feed them, and could stop wandering.

Stop wandering....it was a beautiful thought.....it was so beautiful....

She was at the door and raised her hand, rapping against the wood sharply as she waited for someone to answer.

What would they see?  A young woman who had once been considered pretty, now nearly a skeleton with malnutrition, and her two babes nuzzled against her breast, desperately looking for a place to call home.

[Rhindeer]

And yes, indeed, Cherry's eyes were drawn to Soias' rump, because it was kind of just...there. It wasn't his fault! Her ass was just right next to Jofei's head, being on his shoulder, so if he tried looking at Jofei's face innocently...bam! There it was! Of course he was going to look when it was just right there, out in the open, in tight little pants! It wasn't his fault! Granted, he did have to kind of move his eyes a little off to the side, so it did take a bit of an effort to look, but he could still see it out of the corner of his eye. Clearing his throat, he kept his eyes locked to Jofei's face, just in case the guy got mad or something about him gawking. Not that that would make much sense, considering the flashing incident, but you never knew.

Finally Soias wrenched herself around a bit, and Cherry repressed another groan at her announcement. Aw...shit. She'd be showing him around? Somehow, he didn't really trust that that was a good idea. But it was a good idea for Jofei to finally put her down! Now he didn't have to worry about gawking! Whoo!

He'd just...ignore that "suck it up" comment for now. Honestly...he wasn't afraid of her, he just...was wary of her. That was okay, though, right? Anyone else would have probably thought the same, anyway.

Cherry nodded slowly to Jofei. "Heh, thanks for the warning." Not that he'd needed it. He'd already decided that he'd need to be on guard with this one. "Nah...she doesn't look bad. I'll just...have to be careful about what I say, eh?" Very, very, very careful. He'd just...make sure to think of what he was going to say before he said it, just so he could make sure it couldn't be interpretted the wrong way. He'd probably still miss a few interpretations, but...he was banking on her missing them, too.

He could hope. He just wasn't sure whether this Soias really was that oblivious or she was messing with him.

That was when a sound from outside, a sharp series of knocks on the door outside, got his attention. It wasn't all that hard to hear; it was pretty quiet inside here. Blinking, he looked from Jofei to Soias. "Ah, should we...?" After all, he didn't know the ropes here, yet.

But, he was sure they would handle it.

[Anonymous]

Jofei barely smothered a grin. Yep, he'd been looking alright. Few people could hide anything from Jofei's sharp green eyes, and he had clearly seen Cherry's loosing battle with the 'must not stare at butt...!' thought.
Perhaps it was time for him to try and explain some things to Soias...
...
As if she'd get it.

"Yes, definately watch what you say." He affirmed. Soias had an odd knack for taking things in either the entirely wrong way, or hitting an inuendo or hidden remark right on the nose.
It was strange.
Just like everything else about her.
Soias' frown deepened. "Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" She demanded, and Jofei's kind, large hand came down softly on her head again.
"Sorry Soias. Would you-"
That's when everyone in the room heard the knock.

Jofei waved Cherry off. "No, no. I'll get it. I am the one working right now anyhow. Alright Soias, take good care of our new employee, alright?" And with that he ruffled her hair, and left through the open door.
Soias nodded, a brief grin passing over her face as her hair was ruffled, for it was a usual gesture from Jofei.
Then she was standing straight again, fists on her hips, her intimidating gaze once again focused on Cherry. "Alright then Cherry! I've got to introduce you to...everyone, I guess. But first thing's first. We gotta find Fiona! Let's go, no whining!" And with that, she literally grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of his room.

She marched out into the common room, where there were about half a dozen prostitutes already sprawled on the couches, waiting. They were all quick with smiles at Soias and Cherry, a few waving and winking, both men and women.
"Where's Fiona?" Soias' voice cared easily in the quiet of the room, and the heavy aphrodesiacs seemed not to affect her at all.
One of the women stretched, showing off her scantily clad body, her chest barely held by the strip of silk crossing it. "Mmm, she's already got a client. Care to-"
But Soias cut off her pending invitation with her own loud voice.
"Alright, thanks. We'll go find her then." And with that, she turned, tugging Cherry along. She knew that Alyss had wanted her to leave Cherry with them. Like hell that would happen. She was in charge of taking care of him, not setting him up to get laid.

The spunky girl pulled Cherry up the stairs, where all those rooms had been. She knew which one Fiona used, and that's exactly where she headed. It was the door right next to Peach's.
She slammed on the heavy wooden door three times, and then again let herself in.

Uh, probably not a good idea...!

Standing in the doorway, she had only given the couple in bed about three seconds to throw a sheet over themselves. Which they didn't do.
The woman sat up, straddling the man, and crossed her arms over her flat stomach. She was totally naked, with pale, creamy white skin and a pile of vibrantly pink hair on her head. Her neck was long, holding her head regally atop her slender shoulders.
In the darkness of the room, with only the light from the doorway to illuminate them, her eye color was hidden.
"Dammit Soias, it was just getting good. What do you need now??"

Soias was totally unphazed. "Cherry needs stuff for his room!" She pointed to poor Cherry with her free hand, for she still had an iron grip on his wrist, keeping him at her side.
Fiona lifted a thin brow. "And this couldn't wait why...?"
Soias just stared at the woman.
"Right, because you have absolutely no patience. Well, this man is paying good money to get fucked, so you're gonna have to wait."

Again, unphazed, Soias just sat herself down in the doorway. She was seriously going to wait for them to finish right there.

Elsewhere, totally unknowing of the chaos insuing upstairs, Jofei was answering the door. He had to grab the large oak pole he used as his weapon of sorts, when things got out of hand.
He opened the door without calling out to see who it was. They were open today, so it was likely to be a client that didn't want to be kept waiting.
What he found when he opened the door was probably anything but that.

Jofei blinked down at the starving woman and her two infant children. There was a struggle within him that lasted but a split second, whether to simply usher them inside, or take the time to ask and see what it was she wanted.
Damn, he was at work...
"Um, yes, how can I help you?" He asked softly, brushing some of his cerulean bangs from his face as he stood in front of the doorway, his own body effectively blocking entry.

[Goldie]

When the door opened, Rayne couldn't help the flush that rose in her cheeks.  Part of her had hoped that the door would stay tightly closed and she would be forced to walk away; be forced to find a paying job that was better fitting to someone like her.  She had never been one to show off her body and liked to keep herself under the sexual radar in a sense.  She had been a virigin when she wed Aniketos and had never laid with any other man.  It was almost amusing to picture herself as a whore, sprawled out scantily clad, laying with whatever man could pay...

Of course, it wasn't funny now.  In fact, all she wanted to do was cry, if she had any tears left to shed.  Which she had not.

But the door did open, and here she stood.  Gods but she had to give an answer!  And she obviously wasn't here for a client!  That much could be told by her tattered clothing and the two babes shifting restlessly in their sling.  Which of course meant that she was there for one other reason...

Gods but she didn't want to say it!  She had never considered herself proud in any way until she ran away from Aniketos...or the man he had become...now, after months of starvation, she was taught the true meaning of humility.  Any pride that she had carried with her all of her life was shatter now that she stood on the doorsteps of a whore house.

"I...." she began and then caught a glance into the common room, the flush rising higher in her cheeks as she saw a few women and men lounging about in scraps of fabric.  Could she really live like this?  Did she want to?  Couldn't she just shove her pride and go back to Aniketos, hoping that the j'aari had magically disappeared?

No...that was imposible...she couldn't return until she had a cure....and she just prayed that she wouldn't be too ill by the time it surfaced.

"I didn't know where else to go" she breathed, talking a little fast that she had intended due to desperation and nerves, "I was told....that....there might be a position here?  I just...I can't support them, my children, not since I ran--" she cut herself off, this man didn't need to know her whole life story.  Oh gods!  She had probably ruined her chances already!  What in the world was she thinking?  She couldn't pleasure men!  "I'm sorry" she murmured, bowing her head, "I shouldn't have come...I don't know what I was thinking..."

Gods...but she needed to feed her children!  She needed to give them baths and take one herself!  Aniketos had called her beautiful, but now she was sure that even he would turn up his nose.  Her waist length brown hair was filled with street dirt and thrown into a hasty plate, tied off with a strip of fabric she had torn from her skirts.  Her pale skin was ashen with the lack of sleep and proper nurishment...the only thing that could remind people that she had once been pretty were her deep blue eyes; eyes that use to sparkle with laughter and were now haunted with sorrow.

"I just...I don't want to run anymore..." she finished, surprised to feel tears in her eyes as she looked down at the ground.

[Rhindeer]

...Damn.

Cherry had actually been looking at that knock as something of a godsend, a chance for him to get away from Soias. Hell, he'd even thought about asking (or begging) Jofei to let him watch him work under the excuse that it'd "let him get a feel for procedure". Truthfully, he just didn't really want to work around Soias, and Jofei seemed like a level-headed, good guy! Sure, Soias wasn't bad, but...let's just say that Cherry had had his share of eccentricity in his lifetime and he had a stupid name and equally stupid tattoos to show for that (he loved his parents, bless them, he just questioned their sanity a lot). Now...he really didn't mind such people. Hey, he'd survived his folks and he loved them, weird as they were! There was nothing wrong with them. And there was likely nothing inherently wrong with Soias...probably.

But an eccentric person (and Soias was definitely that) showing him the ropes in a brothel, and after already flashing her breasts and nearly flashing everything else? Yeah, if that wasn't foreshadowing disaster, he didn't know what was.

Unfortunately, the knock on the door, instead of saving him, only further sealed his fate. If not for the knock, Jofei, the disaster control, might have hung around longer. But instead Cherry was deserted, left alone with the scary flasher girl. In a brothel. He'd have to fend for himself, now. Which...wouldn't normally be a problem if it was combat or something, but oh no, this was a mental battle he'd be facing! Watching what he said. Watching Soias' every move. He had to be on guard or he might just end up getting...flashed or sexed up or who knows what.

...Then again, he'd probably end up flashed, anyway. Brothel, Cherry. Remember? Right. Wasn't his fault he wasn't used to this kind of environment! He was still convinced that it was worth it, though. Okay, then, that just left getting surprise sex or something because, while he was a young man with a healthy level of horniness, that did not mean he didn't have standards! Prostitutes...yeah. He had no idea what they had or who they'd been with. He wanted to keep his relations with them purely professional and business-like. Especially the men.

Ugh.

Sighing slightly as Jofei left, he glanced at Soias as she stared him down and shrugged. "Alright, lead the way." Fiona. Ah, right! The lady Peach mentioned. Awesome. He could get some stuff, and momentarily save him from being alone with Soias! It was perfect!

Ah, little did he know...

Dragged along after Soias, it was really all he could do to keep up with her as she pulled him into the common area...where all the prostitutes were. Who all waved at him. And the damned aphrodisiacs again! Cherry couldn't help but flush slightly as he waved back, doing his best to either avert his eyes completely or just try and stare at the couch itself and not the occupants. He also did what he could to breathe as little as possible. Because otherwise? It could be bad. What could he say, he wasn't used to the damn things! He'd never used one before or been around them! Not his fault.

Besides...he still remembered last night...the way Peach had introduced him...

Augh!

Still, he couldn't help but look, and look he did. Hey, he was human. He couldn't help the curiosity! And he also figured that if he was going to work here, he'd damned well better get used to seeing a lot of scantily clad guys and gals. And really...they couldn't be that bad...they were just people with a different sort of job. Yeah.

He stood by and listened as Soias asked around, then suddenly blinked. Wait, Fiona had a client...?

And...and Soias was--GYAH!

Before he could really connect the two or protest, Soias was hauling him along again, and while he was glad to be out of there...wait...client. Fiona had a client. Which was why she couldn't help them right now...

He was tugged along up the stairs, doing his best not to stumble in his attempt to keep up rather than be dragged.

If she had a client...and they were going to find</I> her...

Soias finally stopped and knocked on a door.

...If they were going to find her with her client...oh no.

It clicked. Cherry's face paled.

"Soias! Wai--"

Too late.

The door swung open and Soias let herself inside, dragging him in with her.

...Oh dear Gods.

For what seemed like the hundredth time since coming here, Cherry flushed red and had to bite back a near squeak before he averted his eyes to the floor. Oh my God, oh my God...they were doing it! They walked in right in the middle of...AUGH! At that moment, Cherry could have died and he would have been perfectly happy. Instead, since dying wasn't an option, he opted for trying to twist his wrist free to make a hasty escape. Unfortunately, Soias' grip was a lot stronger than he'd anticipated...

And no one seemed bothered by this!

Mortified as he was, Cherry hardly heard a thing until a tug on his wrist signaled that Soias had just sat down...and his eyes widened. Wait, what?! Then he vaguely recalled the last thing that had been said: "you're gonna have to wait."

...Oh no. Oh hell no. She was NOT! Oh, fine, she could! but he was not!

"Soias!" he hissed in a whisper, voice slightly strained as he used his other hand to try and pry her fingers free. "Let go. We can't stay here! I won't stay here! We can wait outside, outside the closed door!" He was practically begging, but he also wasn't waiting. Remembering that he also had muscle (which he'd forgotten; give him a break, he was shell-shocked!) he began to tug at her, aiming to drag her out of the room, even if it meant literally dragging her after him on her ass. He was not staying.

He wasn't. It was wrong and improper and...oh Gods, Cherry, stop looking! His face flushed an even deeper shade of red.

Gods, he was surprised his nose wasn't gushing blood yet...

[Anonymous]

Jofei frowned softly at her breathy words. He was too nice a person for this sort of thing...
The large man sighed, but smiled softly at her, and stepped aside. "Alright, it's ok, come on inside." Once she was in, he closed the door behind her, and gently placed his large hand on her delicate back, leading her to the right, toward the door where the bouncer's rooms were.
He figured she wouldn't want to be around all the prostitutes, the air thick with aphrodesiacs.

"Alyss!" He barked, and a woman with long blond hair and nothing but a strip of silk across her generous bosom, and a sort of loincloth of the same blue material, jumped off the couch as if burned.
"Yeah??" She squeaked, blinking.
Jofei was slightly amused by her response. She was a newer prostitute here, and was still foolish enough to be afraid of him simply because of his large stature.
He was one of the nicest people around.
"Go get Peach would you??"

The young lady gulped and nodded, darting for the staircase as Jofei opened that side door and led the woman and her two babes inside.
The hall was short and held only four rooms, two on each side. He led her into the first room on the right, which was his. It was furnished with dark wood furniture, and had a distinctly masculine feel to it.
"I'm Jofei, a bouncer here. Peach is the owner of this brothel, he'll be able to find something for you to do." He offered, smiling kindly down at her.
"Don't worry, we'll get you and your children taken care of. What are their names?"
He was trying to make conversation with the obviously distraught woman. He just hoped Peach really would know what to do...

The man Fiona was currently straddling looked a bit nervous at having the two strangers watch them. Fiona grumbled and stared at Soias.
"You can't just sit there and watch. This man isn't paying for that. Go on, get!"
Soias didn't move, and only looked blankly up at Cherry as he hissed at her. Before she could formulate a response, she was being dragged out of the room.
A grin immediately broke out as she slid across the polished wood flooring, apparently finding it quite amusing. She caught the door with one booted foot so that it closed on their way out.
She then let go of Cherry's hand and sprawled herself out on the floor, grinning up at Cherry.
"That was kind of fun. I didn't think you were all that strong. Pull me around the floor!" Yeah, sometimes her childish side came out...

It was then Alyss came ripping around the corner, and ran right into Cherry. "Oof!! Hey! Watch it...! Oh, hello there Cherry..." The blonde beauty quickly switched to seductive mode, her eyes, though cliche, were a brilliant blue, and she batted them at Cherry.
Soias frowned.
"Back off, bouncers are off limits!!" She declared as she launched herself into a crouching position before standing.
Alyss frowned pink lips at Soias. "Hey, you're the one who can back off little girl. Just because you're not sexy enough to get some isn't my problem." She stood with her hands on her hips, all the right curves and smooth skin showing with her outfit as scanty as it was.

Soias was livid. She hated it when the female prostitutes thought they could talk down to her. "I could throw your blonde ass down those stairs, woman." She growled, and Alyss just smirked. "Like hell. I'm worth too much money, dear."
The spunky girl gritted her teeth, fists clenching at her sides. She looked about ready to beat the shit out of Alyss right there.
Luckily, that was when Peach made his appearance, looping an arm around Soias, across her chest.
"Temper, temper." He said with a smile, and Soias immediately relaxed, whirling out of his grip.
"Peach! You...look like a man today."

Indeed, Peach did. He had his luxurious peach colored hair in a thick braid, and he was wearing a button-up shirt of a pale pink color that had long sleeves, along with a pair of white slacks that were loose around his legs and were tucked into a pair of white boots.
He wasn't wearing a dress.
Peach giggled softly behind his hand, his mannerisms still the same.
"Oh, its because I was doing paperwork all day. What do you all need?" For once, he didn't hit on Cherry, and his focus was on Alyss.
The girl shifted nervously. "Um, Jofei wants you downstairs..." She mumbled before bowing her way out and rushing back downstairs.

Peach smiled, his teeth perfectly white. "Ah, I've been wanting to see Jofei!"
Soias hugged him around his middle. "What about  me!? Oo...have you been working out again?" She rubbed his stomach, which under the shirt was firm and smooth.
Peach blinked down at her, and smiled again, but it was a different, almost...motherly gesture. "Of course I wanted to see you Soias. And yep! Gotta keep my body in top shape!" He pet her head, then swept out of her hold.
"Take good care of her, hun!" he said to Cherry, giving him a swift peck on the cheek before he could move, and then wandered his way downstairs as well.
Soias seemed pouty, and crossed her arms. "Aw, I finally get to see him, and he leaves...dammit...."

Peach quickly reached Jofei's room, and swept inside with flourish, though the smile on his face dropped when he saw the woman.
"Oh my! Jofei, what have you brought me this time?"

[Anonymous]

Just about five seconds after Peach left the hall Star turned into it, running as she usually was. She was a petite girl with green eyes, tanned skin and short bushy black hair that just barely reached her shoulders. In contrast to everyone else, she was totally covered from her neck down. All her attire was black, and tight, which negated the point of being totally covered as she had a fine figure. Star wore a high collared shirt with long sleeves tucked into a wrapping, the same went with her long pants. She also wore gloves and very soft tabi socks, not making any sound as she came to the unsuspecting Cherry. “Will you get the hell away from me!?!� Star shouted to someone behind her before stopping inches from the red headed man.

She blinked and seemed to forget everything. Then she smiled in her usual cheerful way, “Hi Cherry! Soias,� she waved briefly to her before turning to Cherry again. “I’m Star, in charge of special effects around here. Oh don’t worry,� she actually poked one of her breasts, “they’re real.� How the heck did she know all that when they’ve just met? Well…Star was quite the spy. If she didn’t know it, it didn’t happen yet. She even knew about the new friend Jofei just made. Then she froze on the spot, a shocked expression on her eyes and a soft pink on her cheeks. She squeaked in surprise and shot up wards…and didn’t come back down.

She was sticking to the ceiling.

Star looked down, her hair the only thing obeying gravity as she glared at the woman who touched her behind. “Damnit Liura! Don’t touch me there!�

Liura was the lady currently standing in front of Cherry now, her hand still were Stars rear had been. Her black hair was long and tied at the end, her was skin soft and pale and her eyes were a dark brown. Liura was scantily clad in a different manner, choosing a clearly see through robe with a floral pattern. She of course was not wearing a thing under it. She got an adorable pouty face and looked up, fake tears shining in her eyes. “Please come down Starry!�

“Not if there were rabid dogs on this ceiling!�

…did she just say rabid dogs?

Yup, another weirdo.

Suddenly Liura was glaring at Cherry, pointing an accusing finger. “Don’t get any funny ideas! That girl is mine!�

“For the last time!� Star growled and clenched her fists at her sides, still somehow sticking to the ceiling by her feet as she stood. She must be used to having the blood rush to her head by now. “The day, err…night I lose my virginity it will be in a mans bed! …with a man!� She let out a frustrated sigh and stomped off…on the ceiling.

Liura whined, “aw! Now I’ll never see her until she comes to check up on me again! Why can’t she stay in plain sight!?! Oh well.� She sighed sadly and went back around the corner, ignoring Cherry and Soias to get back to her room…to her actual client. She tended to forget things once Star came into view…

[Rhindeer]

Thank whatever benevolent Gods there might be out there! Cherry finally got Soias out of the room, and she had the good sense to shut the door behind her. Excellent! Cherry quickly let go of Soias and slumped against the wall across from the door, sliding a hand over his hot face as though to try and ease away the brilliant blush that had formed there, enough to rival the red of the cherry tattoo on his cheek. Oh man...only day one and already he'd been nearly molested (he could ignore the fact that that was his fault, at least for now) and then...he'd walked in on some people in the middle of doing it. Augh...brothel, Cherry, brothel. Remember what you got yourself into?

Well...yeah...he knew. And he was also starting to think he just wasn't cut out for it. Room and board couldn't be worth all this, could it? Not when he was uncomfortable with just about everything. He was way out of his league...and crazy to think he could have worked here. Maybe he should just quit and keep looking...though that would be quitting, and Cherry wasn't fond of that. Besides...the people weren't bad. Just different.

Luckily, he didn't have to think much about it because that was when Soias asked him to pull her around the floor.

Cherry raised an eyebrow, then gave a brief shrug. "Sure..." Then he walked right over to her, grasped her forearms, and started to do just that.

Pull her around the floor.

Hey, he wasn't a complete stick in the mud! And it also wasn't like he didn't have ulterior motives, too. As long as he pulled Soias around, she couldn't do more embarrassing things! Sounded great to him!

That was cut short when someone ran straight into him, however, and Cherry released his hold on Soias and spun around in surprise, spotting a woman who...really was a woman from the looks of her bust. And...she knew his name. Jeez...had he gotten around that fast?

...Or did the tattoo just give it away?

"Hello..." he began awkwardly before Soias leaped to his rescue. Literally, almost.

And thus began a rather nasty exchange that seemed...rather personal. Cherry only watched, blinking at Soias as she threatened to throw the woman down the stairs...

Yikes...

Just when he was about ready to intervene, thinking it best, another man appeared on the scene to take care of Soias!

...A man who was...oh dear Gods...none other than Peach. Who looked...like a man! His thoughts echoed Soias' words (minus the "what about me" and "oo, have you been working out" parts) as he stared in dumbfounded shock. And he wasn't hitting on him, either! He was acting, well...like a man! Kind of. He was still girly. But manly! Gaaah, Cherry was so confused. Maybe he didn't hit on guys when he was dressed as one, though Cherry wasn't at all disappointed that all his attention was focused on Soias! Though...it was a different kind of attention...

Certainly not all lusty and stuff.

...Okay, never mind. Seemed Peach hadn't forgotten about him.

Cherry tried really hard not to grimace or cringe when Peach kissed his cheek (and, after all, he'd kissed much more yesterday...what was a kiss on the cheek? Rrgh...), but he could relax again when Peach swept out of the room, face slightly flushed. He shooj his head firmly, then looked to Soias as she spoke up. "You...two are close?" he ventured.

The craziness, however, didn't end there. Oh no...

Enter Star and Liura.

Yep, just when Cherry got to relax, more girls came to drive him nuts! And they apparently knew him too.

Gyaaah...

"Oh...er...that's...okay..." was all he was able to get out as he blankly watched the two interact, Liura adamant about Star being hers, "Starry" walking around on the ceiling and boasting about her virginity. By the time they left, Cherry was, once again, sagging against the wall and rubbing his temples.

"...Soias...was there really a girl walking on the ceiling just now?" he asked seriously, voice drained of emotion. Maybe this whole thing really was driving him nuts.

[Anonymous]

Soias sighed after Peach, totally ignoring Star and Liura. She was used to their antics, and was too busy pouting about the fact Peach had left so suddenly.
She wanted to spend some time with him...
Damn.

Sighing again, Soias turned to look at Cherry once all was said and done, her liquid red eyes seeming a bit dejected in her tanned face. Even the edges of her lips were pulled down alittle.
"Yeah, that was Star. She can do all sorts of stuff like that..."
And then, without warning, Soias simply slumped forward, her forehead bumping Cherry's chest. His earlier question required a bit of an explination.

"Yeah, we're close. Peach and Jofei take care of me. They're like my parents. I guess that makes Peach the mom..." A small smirk spread across her face, hidden from Cherry by the way she was leaning on him.
But that quickly dropped away.
"Peach and Jofei are so busy now. I get to see Jofei alot, cuz we do the same job here. But really, the only special time I get with him is in the bath. And I never get to see Peach. He's always so busy! Dammit..."
She grimaced, biting her lip. She didn't mean to sound bitter...she knew Peach was happy doing this, and so was Jofei. But...she wanted to be selfish too! She wanted to be able to have time with them all to herself...
Not fair!

Finally, Soias shifted and wrapped her arms around Cherry.
"Hey, Cherry?"
She turned her head to the side and looked up at him. Only due to her hunched over form could she do this, for normally they'd both be the same height.
"Will you keep me company?"