Lament of the Lost

The joy of luck in the form of the Scoresbys that befell me quickly gave way to dread. The man who approached me was tall, handsome, well-groomed, and well-dressed - so was the Terr'den woman. But what alarmed me the most were their arrays and numbers of sigils.

[Talker: 135 sigils]

[Charmer: 129 sigils]

Whether it was the man, a Talker, or the woman, a Charmer of some feline descent, both of their arrays implied that they were in the business of persuading people. Quite simply, they were the kind of people I did not want to have anything to do with - at least not until I got my bearings in the city and knew how things worked around here, if it was normal to tail people like this.

"S-sorry, but I can't a-afford to waste my t-time," I stammered, hinting that I was paying my little guide to show me around the city.

"Yeah, go away," Ria chimed in fearlessly.

The man smiled, ignoring the little kitare. "Then would you say that a silver is enough to give us a few moments?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a silver hexte flashed up in the woman's hand. With an overly enticing wink, she then flipped me the coin. A bit annoyingly, thrown off by my suddenly racing heart, I caught it out of reflex.

"No, Korra. Let's go." Ria tugged at my hand, pulling my attention away from the woman.

"Y-yeah. Like I said, sorry."

Handing them the coin back, I put up my mental defenses, clearing my mind with [Indomitable Will] just in case. I might not have felt them in my head, but no doubt they did something to mess me up, to agree with them.

"Are you sure, ma'am?"

"You, love, shouldn't let this opportunity slip through your fingers."

"We offer a job and a good pay."

"A rare thing in the city. Unless you're into killing beasts in the depths beneath our feet, love."

'What the actual fuck was she talking about?'

Beasts? Beneath the city? Did she mean the sewers?

Something to ask Ria later, I guess. Now, though, it was time to hear them out. Sure, talking to them, even out here in the open, could have been stupid and risky, but it could just as easily have been a missed opportunity as the woman said. I needed a job.

Besides, my instincts weren't screaming at me to run. As both relieving and unsettling as it was, these two weren't the ones who gave me the creeps ever since City Hall.

"Okay, but I'm not going anywhere," I said as firmly as I could after taking a deep breath to steady my racing heart. Then I looked at the little kitare pulling on my hand. "I'll just… I'll just hear them out, Ria."

"That's all we ask, love, just to lend us your lovely ears."

"And if a busy street makes you feel better, I don't see any problem with having the talk here, madam. Quite the contrary, I like your boldness."

"In fact, something that, besides your unique look, caught our attention. Few have the guts to walk the streets in all their lovely glory."

"Well, let us introduce ourselves."

"We represent the Tender Way, love."

They both smiled as the announcement caused a buzz of interest from passersby, curious to hear what was going on.

"Did she say Tender Way?"

"What a lucky lass."

Unlike them, however, I remained cautious. The name might not have rung a bell, but that didn't mean I had no inkling of what kind of place Tender Way might be. Ria's bashful expression was telling enough.

"A brothel?"

"Uh, let's not use such unpleasant terms, madam."

"Tender Way is the best companion house in Castiana."

"Four floors of the finest entertainment right in the middle of the city on Labyrinth Square."

'That place again.'

"It's where one can go on a journey to expand your horizons - or bring their lovely fantasies to life."

"The finest place to work, with many benefits."

"No danger to your life, love."

"Weekly checkups with healers on hand."

"The softest beds and the sweetest food."

"The richest clientele, madam."

"A little work on your lovely looks, and you could earn a few gold pieces - a night."

"And that's with the deduction of the dues Tender Way takes."

"Lovely, right? A golden opportunity, you could say."

Yeah, it really didn't sound bad. Working at Tender Way would solve all the problems I had, income, the food and a roof over my head.

'No! No, no, no! Shit! I mean… what the fuck was I even thinking about?'

Me, being a whore?

'Seriously, what the actual fuck?! What did they do to me?'

Hitting my mind once more with [Indomitable Will], I shook my head. "No, I..."

"We're not asking you to decide now, ma'am," the man did not let me finish. "We understand that this is not an easy decision to make. Take your time."

• 19th glyph engraved on Eleaden Standard Language (⦿⦿)

'Damn! That worked too?'

I had assumed that to improve in Standard I needed to talk a lot, but apparently, it was enough to listen to someone who was good, bloody good at it.

"But bear in mind, love, that you will hardly find easier work in the city that pays so well. Here… if you change your mind."

Somewhat bewildered, I accepted nothing other than a business card from the Terr'den woman. The moment I did, though, the runes on the small velvet plate lit up, popping up diaglyph in my face. At first glance, it depicted a road winding up into the mountains and a traveler wandering along it, but if you looked a while longer, you could see the truth behind it - a naked woman lying on her back and a dick.

With blood rushing to my head, I hid the card in my spatial storage before Ria had a chance to see it. Dumb, considering that brothels seemed to be nothing rare in the city and she must have already seen more than that. But I couldn't help myself. That was just how I grew up, and even the year and a half of my captivity didn't get the prudence out of me.

"The silver is yours, madam. You have earned it."

"See you again, love," the Terr'den woman added with a wink, and they both disappeared from my sight - not out of my earshot, though. Pricking up my huge ears like never before, cutting through the noise of the street, I followed their footsteps. Why? In the foolish hope of hearing their honest thoughts, their true intentions with me.

"Stubborn, wasn't she?" the man remarked.

"Too many sigils. We should have told Gustl and Ira to handle this one."

"And let them reap the finder's reward? No. They always come. Just give her time to get a taste of the city."

"I sure hope you're right. There was something about her..."

"You're not talking about her fine ass, are you?"

"No. There… this odd… exhilarating… she… dangerous..."

'Shit!' I cursed, clutching my ears in pain.

"Korra! Korra, are you alright?" Ria squeaked in fright as I found my hands covered in blood.

'That sure was stupid.'

Not only did I find out absolutely nothing I didn't already know or suspect, those two weren't the source of that nagging feeling on the back of my neck, but annoyingly, they got out of my earshot just as it was getting interesting.

'Did that woman think I was dangerous? If so, why?'

I hadn't done anything to make her think that; at least, I wasn't aware of it.

"Are you hurt, Korra? Do you want me to take you to a healer?"

"No. No, Ria. That won't be necessary. I'll be fine," I lied to the little kitare. "The street noise - it’s just too much."