Imprints in Stone [AU]

[GamesMaster]

Brianna takes a long, hard look at Bethany, appraising her a third time. "You saying you're hiring?" she asks, her tone too casual. 

[Bethany]

Bethany opens her mouth, then closes it, giving Brianne a thoughtful look right back. "I'm saying... tell me how it works. We have like an hour and a half left. Tell me how it works and I'll tell you if I can do it."

[GamesMaster]

Brianna grins, then, a real, honest approving grin. "You won't do, of course. You don't know nothin' or no-one, and knowing's the hard part. But, ah'l tell ya what ya want to know, anyway."

She sits back, giving a bit of a yawn. "Tonight, I'll go over Jay's, an' if he knows his business he'll already have a few clients lined up. He'll gi'me one, tell me what the guy's after, then he'll go out and get another, tell 'm where I am. It changes, week to week. Different inns, that sort. Jay pays for the room for the night, so that's some of the profits gone. He knows people, risks his neck makin' sure they ain't Guards or nothin', since this is the illegal sorta whorin'. On a bad night, iffin he can't get 'nuff clients, he'll find me a street in Coalside an' have me walk it. That's dangerous work, the kind you take a pimp to get away from. Very little coin -- chargin' per act gets you less than for time, see -- and you waste half your night trying to get people innerested. But some nights it goes like that."

[Bethany]

"Well, first off, you could save a lot just by renting out a place instead of getting an inn room. Makes you more predictable maybe, but that's the benefit of having a sweet young thing such as myself as the pimp- who would expect such a thing? Guard's harder," she allows, still thinking. "I'm a fair read of people. Willing to wage just as good as your Jay. It's the clients that's the hard part but... I gather you don't have regulars? Word of mouth seems the easiest method..."

[GamesMaster]

"If you rent a place, you're not a streetwalker no more. You're a brothel. Those come in two kinds: licensed and unlicensed. Licensing is expensive, and comes with a whole mess of extra fees to boot. So they pay less, and they're pickier about their girls. Girl like me can't get a spot in a licensed brothel, nor could you. Unlicensed... well, still not, but maybe you. They screen people at the door, only let 'em in if they're vouched for."

"As for regulars..." She frowns, mulling it over, then shakes her head. "They'd have to be real mad at Jay to cross 'm. He knows people, enforcers, they'd come after someone as came to you for me instead of him. You'd need people."

[Bethany]

"Well, if we own the brothel, I'm sure you'll be allowed to work there," Bethany says wryly. "I can defend myself pretty well, better'n most would guess. And..." She frets at her lip. "I might have some friends that wouldn't mind a steadier income than, ah, creative re-ownshiping." As soon as I can figure out how to do it without killing my brother. Or embarrassing myself in front of Ari. "If Jay pushes things, preemptive strike to... discourage him should do the trick. Hells, maybe lure over some of his enforces if he gets his ass beat well enough."

[GamesMaster]

Still, she shakes her head. "No good. All the gangs already have ties to one brothel or another. Good work, enforcing. Coalies, Runebloods, Dog lords, they all have ties."

[Bethany]

"They're kind of newish," Bethany explains thoughtfully. "My brother is... sorta part of them. Which is part of the problem," she adds in a mutter. "Do you know anyone else that might be willing to try doing this... joint pimping?"

[GamesMaster]

"I might know some girls. I can ask. How many you think you can handle?" 

[Bethany]

"Management wise?" Bethany shrugs. "Half dozen? I'm not as smart as my sister is-" She flinches, take a breath. "Was. But I'm good enough to do scheduling and accounting and such. It's the customer base I'm most worried about. Not like we can... advertise, right?" Or can we? Depend on where you do it...

[GamesMaster]

She nods. "If you know anyone with ties or experience in this group of yours, that'd help. Otherwise, maybe we get two or three other girls, start small. Thinkin, maybe I can get Jay to let me off one night a week, till we build things up."

[Bethany]

Am... am I really doing this? Starting a gods blessed brothel of all things? With someone you just met? "That... that sounds possible," she says slowly. "And... huh. I wonder if Miki would be willing to work, err, on his back? He's certainly horny enough," she mutters. "Might as well be paid for it."

[GamesMaster]

"There are some as like menfolk, but since they mostly go to brothels... yeah, seems like it might help. See what you can do." She smiles. "I'll come by the temple, ah, Morday next, then?"

[Bethany]

Starting to nod, Bethany frowns. "No, let's met here. I'll bring lunch again too- any requests? I can't make much that's fancy but..."

[GamesMaster]

"Meat!" she says, gleefully. "I-- I mean-- anything's fine," she adds, looking off to one side. Huh-- for a moment she seemed younger than she otherwise seems.