บท 1: Rin Asahiro
The streets of Dren were fairly quiet. In a small town like this, nothing ever really sparked up much of a commotion. At least, not when foreigners weren't involved. No, between trying to make enough money to put food on the table and reading about the latest kobold assaults on supply runs, no one had much of an interest in needless drama.
Most of the time, anyway.
As of right now though, everyone was packed up into their small shabby houses whose bricks shared the same space as centuries-old small structures with large neon signs from ages past. One narrow street wound and twisted down dirt and concrete until it eventually met one of the only buildings in this town made of actual concrete.
A brothel called the Silver Rose.
Just beside this establishment were the buildings in which clients would take the sex workers to receive their services. In one of those rooms, high up on the seventh floor, one woman was trying her hardest to push through this moment in her life.
"Oh FUCK!" A man yelled between laughs as he pumped into his dance partner, a young woman who was using her wrist to shield her eyes, hiding at least a portion of her expression. If the man noticed that she was not at all enjoying this, it could mean a lower tip and an uncomfortable client, two things she had to avoid if she wanted to keep her reputation as golden as it was.
She was known, after all, as one of the most popular and well-reviewed whores in Dren. "The ghostly maiden," some people called her due to the white hair she'd wear during her work hours.
Rin Asahiro gritted her teeth and faked a few moans to keep the man enthralled, occasionally moving her hips in such a way as to suggest that she was reciprocating his feelings.
[Should be just a few minutes now.] She thought. She had gotten somewhat skilled at determining the stamina of the men she serviced. This one, sadly, was a mercenary. Trained, athletic, and experienced, which meant that he could go on for longer, which also meant Rin hated him.
Before long though, the man filled up the company-provided condom he was given and flopped onto his back as if he'd just had a stroke, his mouth wide and his eyes wide open as he looked up at the ceiling, as though he was staring at the Divine themselves.
"Fuck, that was good." He noted breathlessly. Rin sighed and felt her heartbeat slow down.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Rin said with a smile, and a low, seductive tone. One that made her sound older than she was, at just 20 years of age.
"Here you go." The man sat up and reached for a coin pouch on the nightstand next to the bed that he had placed before they'd gotten started. He tossed it over at her. "Oh, shit, I needed that," he laughed. Without another word, he put on a shirt and walked out of the room.
"Sir!" Rin called out after him though.
"Yeah?" Annoyed, the man asked.
"You forgot your backpack," Rin said with what she hoped looked like a kind smile, as she gestured at the bag next to the bed.
"OH! Thanks." He grabbed it and with a nod, actually leaving this time.
"… Dumbass."
Rin quickly turned and carefully appraised the bronze bracelet she'd stolen from the backpack before she had called to him.
[Okay! So, how much is this worth? A few silver varols? Four, five?]
She did not know when exactly she'd picked this habit up, but one day, maybe a year or two ago, she had noticed that some clients were so eager to leave the premises as soon as they climaxed that they tended to forget things. So, she'd take a couple of things and pawn them off. If they were unimportant enough for the clients to forget, then she needed them more than they did.
[Guess I'll check later.] Rin thought and tossed the bracelet into her own backpack, which had in it a spare change of clothes, two stolen necklaces, one stolen engagement ring, and a see-through bottle holding a sparkling blue liquid. Rin grabbed that bottle and jogged over to the bathroom. Flicking the lights on, she looked at herself in the mirror.
In the reflection, she saw a mixture of natural and artificial beauty. The natural part was her sultry amber eyes, which were genuinely hers, her plump and sizeable breasts, a fairly big part of why she was one of the favorites at the brothel, and the "child-bearing hips" that the man from earlier had been grabbing onto as though his life had depended on it.
The unnatural part was that long white hair, which was the result of an Illusory Potion, along with the tattoo all workers like her were required by law to have:
A crescent moon on her forehead that marked her, for all society to know, as a prostitute.
Mechanically, in a motion she had done a million times before, she uncapped the bottle and held it over her head. Then, slowly, she let its blueish contents fall over her, and drip onto the floor.
Her white hair turned black, its natural color, and the tattoo disappeared. The hair was a measure that the men and women who worked at the Silver Rose had come up with themselves. Although the law required them to show that they were prostitutes and escorts through their tattoos whenever they were working, the law did not prohibit them from masking their identity.
So, a potion was created that altered the user's hair color and activated the tattoo painted onto their faces with invisible ink. This was one of a few things that a sex worker could call their best friend. Along with another potion that prevented pregnancies and one more that temporarily increased a woman's bust size or the length of one's manhood.
Depending on the needs and desires of the customers, of course.
The landline rang. Rin quickly ran over to the phone, a small, bronze-colored thing, and picked it up.
"Hello?" She asked.
"Rin, are you done?" It was her boss, as she could tell by the familiar rough and impatient tone.
"Yeah, just finished."
"Good, your mother is here. Figured I'd let you know."
She sighed.
"Alright, thanks."
Her boss hung up the call before she could. Rin clicked her tongue and put on her sandals before adjusting her rose-tinted robe, and hurrying out the door. The elevator carried her down to the lobby of the building, where most people, as they were used to her presence, ignored her as she made her way onto the streets.
It was, admittedly, a gorgeous night. The full moon was out and its light draped itself over Rin, who walked over to the brothel hurriedly. From the outside, the Silver Rose was fairly unassuming, with only its name displayed on neon letters planted in an unimpressive building. However, as soon as Rin opened the door that led inside, the bombastic nature of her workplace made itself known.
Loud, fast-paced music, men and women casually walking half-naked from one place to another, mostly male clients looking at them with heart-eyes, and a few rare female clients doing the same. It was something out of a dream. Well, to anyone who didn't come here almost every day.
To Rin, it was just the place she worked at. The place that had helped her pay the bills after her brother had gone missing.
"Hey, Rin!" A boy called out to her and Rin turned towards him, smiling when she saw the guy.
"Felix? Hey, what's up?" She asked the topless charming man who walked over to her. Felix was one of the male workers and one of the few reasons Rin was able to stay sane throughout the three years she'd been working here.
He wore a slutty butler's outfit over a toned body and had a handlebar mustache along with smooth black hair at the top of his head.
He flashed a cheesy smile and wrapped an arm behind her back.
"Seems like you need to chill, no?"
"What?"
"I could tell as soon as I saw you. Mopey eyes, that brooding 'don't talk to me' face. You are in desperate need of some relaxation."
"Eh. My last guy was... more vocal than I would have liked. So, what exactly do you propose?" Rin asked with a raised brow. Felix took his arm off her, put his hands on his hips, and asked:
"Come drink with me. Some of the others and I are heading to the Anvil tonight."
The Anvil, by the way, was an old bar, found near the brothel. A favorite of Rin's and her coworkers. Why did they call it the Anvil? Because people went there to get hammered.
"Nah, not really feeling like it tonight," Rin answered.
"Come ooooon~" Felix smirked. "Tell you what, you come with me tonight and I'll hook you up with you-know-who."
"Felix!" She barked out with a laugh. "For the last time, I don't have a crush on her!" Rin started walking towards the lounge, where she was sure her mother was, receiving a few nods from some of the other workers.
"Yeah right, like you don't blush any time Jess so much as glances at you. Stop lying."
Jess was, by the way, a person Felix was friends with who did not work at the Silver Rose.
"Dude," she muttered, "that's not an 'I'm into Jess' thing, that's an 'I haven't had a genuine relationship in years' thing."
"All the more reason I should set you up with someone!"
"It doesn't," she sighed, "it doesn't matter, alright?" [I doubt any girl out there wants a random prostitute like me, anyway. It's not gonna happen.]
"Anyway, uh, my mom is here," she said, changing the topic.
"Ouch." Felix's smile faded. "Anything serious?"
"Don't know. Hope not."
"Okay, well, I'll come with you. Haven't said 'hi' to Mrs. Asahiro in a while."
"Fine." Felix threw a gesture at the people he was heading to the bar with. They seemed to receive the message. Rin paced through a small crowd and finally ended up at the desk where Jay and her mother were.
Jay was a middle-aged woman with a side-shaved haircut with blonde highlights. She wore a sleeveless black shirt that showed off her strong arms and she was wearing business pants.
"Oh, Rin," her boss said, looking over at her and gesturing for her to come nearer.
Rin glanced at her mother, a perfect reflection of herself, but older, who was standing there so calmly that one might think she wasn't in a busy whorehouse. "Your mother wanted to ask me something is all."
The Silver Rose was known for a few different things. It stood out, even among other brothels. Part of that was because of the fact that they also hired male workers, whereas other brothels only offered women. This decision had been key in pushing the brothel to new heights, popularity-wise.
Another part of that though was because of the brothel's owner, Jay.
Aside from the fact that this was the only brothel in town owned by a woman, she happened to be tall and highly intimidating. People knew her last name, but she always told everyone to just call her either "Jay", if they didn't work there, or "mistress", if they did, with Rin being the only person who didn't have to call her that.
"Hey, sweetie." Her mom said, and Rin's eyes went to her. [Hm. She looks paler than normal.] Rin noted.
"Uh, mom? What's up? Are you feeling alright?" Rin asked.
"Nothing, everything's alright. Just had a question for Ms. Jay"
"Just 'Jay' is fine." The tall woman said and Rin's mother chuckled gently.
"Not a chance, miss."
"Okay. So… What are you going to do?" Rin asked.
"Well, I'll be heading back home now." Her mother saw Felix, doing his best to give an innocent smile, and waved at him while saying, "Don't stay out too late, you two."
"Sure," Rin nodded before walking up and hugging her mother tightly. She returned the embrace and before long, her mother waved everyone goodbye and walked away.
Nobody else probably noticed the way her feet dragged, how short her breaths were, but Rin did. [Is she sick again? Hope not.]
"Anyway, Rin," Jay interrupted her thoughts. "It's time for your monthly payment."
[Right. Forgot about that.] Rin nodded and walked over to the door behind her that lead to Jay's room.
Jay walked in behind her.
"How'd the merc job go?" Jay asked.
"Fine."
"Yeah?" She asked with a disbelieving tone. "Those asshats never seem to get that the people they're fucking aren't dolls. No decency. Any of them give you any trouble, let me know."
"How do you know?" Rin asked.
"Heh," she scoffed. "You forget that I used to work here before I owned it."
[Shit. Right.]
To be fair, it was easy to forget that when Rin looked at her. Dressed the way she was, with the demeanor she had, it was hard to see her servicing or being submissive at all.
"Anyway, here you go." Jay grabbed a large black bag full of coins and threw it onto the desk. All just to reach in and take one coin out.
One platinum coin, that she dropped in Rin's palms.
"Is the bank still open?" Rin asked.
"Didn't your mother say not to stay out late?"
"I'm sorry, is she my mom or are you?" Rin asked and Jay smirked.
"Nah, I could never be. I'm not as pretty as either of you. And, yes, to answer your question, they are open."
"Alright, thanks. Then... In that case, I'm gonna go turn this in. See you tomorrow." Rin said.
"Okay. Have a nice night, kid."
"I hope I never get to the point where I call twenty-year-old people kids," Rin muttered.
"You should hope you get out of here before I smack you," Jay replied and Rin did just that, hiding a chuckle as she walked away.
Rin found Felix standing ahead next to some friends of his.
"Done getting paid?" Felix asked and Rin nodded. "Alright, come on!"
"Nah, gotta go get it exchanged."
"Aw, come on, listen, if you come with us I'll pay your drinks off. Last chance!" He put his hands together, pleading.
"Sorry, not tonight," Rin said. "Just not feeling it."
"Ah, screw it, she's a lost cause," Felix shrugged, turning toward his other friends. "See you tomorrow then."
"Yeah, see you guys tomorrow."
Everyone waved goodbye at her as she exited the brothel and emerged back on the cold street. She took a deep breath, adjusted her backpack, and looked up at the moon.
[Just a night like any other, huh?] She sighed. [When is this gonna change?]
But, as nothing would change just yet, all she could do was walk down the lonely street.
She got to the bank later and just as quickly left with that platinum varol exchanged into ten gold ones.
Trying not to spend any more time outside, Rin began walking back home. She passed by the capital building, a few bus stops, and a bathhouse. None of them caught her eye, save for one place.
There was some metallic clanging in the distance. She could hear some kind of commotion coming from a nearby theatre. The doors were open and even at this time, other curious souls were walking in to see what was happening. [Hm… I guess it couldn't hurt to take a look.] Rin went in behind them.
The dark halls led to where the stage was. It was an arena-type theatre, where the seats surrounded the stage in the middle. It wasn't a fully packed house, but there were quite a few people here. Then, Rin saw the source of those sounds.
Two very foreign-looking people were doing battle in the center. Their hits were so powerful, the clashes of their blades so strong that Rin could feel vibrations on the ground she walked on. [Wow… It doesn't look like they're faking it. Are they using Essence?]
One of them was older and had a large grey beard. He wore armor that looked quite heavy, with exposed arms and a shield at his back that he wasn't using. The other one was a tall woman with short grey hair. She was covered from the neck down in steel armor that shone brilliantly in the bright lights covering the whole theatre, and yet Rin could still sense her prominent musculature. This one was using a sword so large, Rin was certain she wouldn't be able to carry it if asked to.
Apparently, she'd managed to arrive at the end of the fight though. The tall woman pushed the older man back with a kick, and he put a hand up.
"Alright, alright," he laughed. "I'm done."
"You're getting tired fast these days." The woman stated with no humor in her voice.
"That's what happens when you're almost seventy."
"Are we going again?"
"Nah, that's it for tonight."
Rin had expected some kind of applause for the performance they put up, but no one reacted like that. Some of them left the room immediately. Others stayed stoically, looking down at themselves in thought. One of them, the person closest to her, was writing in a notebook. Rin raised an eyebrow and asked:
"What are you doing?"
The boy glanced at her and almost instantly went right back to his writing.
"Taking notes."
"Of what?"
"Of how Rank A adventurers fight."
When Rin heard that, she looked back at them in disbelief. [What!? Those were Rank A adventurers?] At that moment, memories flooded her mind. She recalled the way her brother would come home, dressed in expensive sets of armor, carrying heavy weaponry and with a wide grin on his face.
He was stronger than most people would ever train to be, and he was only Rank B. Rin had never seen a Rank A adventurer in person like this.
"You have to," the boy continued in a mumble, "if you ever want to be one of them."
Rin understood that. Admittedly, it had been a stupid dream that she should have grown out of by now, but sometimes at night, Rin pictured herself not as a common whore, but as someone others could look up to. She would imagine herself dressed in golden armor, some giant sword at her back as she moved through these very streets, looking back at everyone who had ever scorned her with disdain. She wouldn't need to sell her body or steal from her customers, she'd just be a hero and make a living that way.
It was a fantasy, but a nice one. Still, just a fantasy though. She wasn't her brother. She didn't have the talent and the connections he had. So, chuckling to herself, Rin decided she'd had enough.
She found herself back home soon after that. Her mother was already fast asleep, and the couch where her father would sit to listen to the radio at the center of the living room was empty. The kitchen where her brother, who had a passion for cooking and was one of the most sociable human beings Rin had ever met, was equally devoid of any human presence. Wordlessly, Rin walked up the stairs and over to her room.
Here, she put her backpack down next to her bed, slipped her shoes off, and didn't even bother throwing her sheet over her body. As tired as she was, the moment her eyes closed, she was dreaming.
...
Rin found herself in a very familiar room. The one she worked in. There were strange sounds in the air coming from two individuals. The first set, Rin understood as being sounds coming from herself. The second, though, belonged to a stranger.
Her clothes were hurriedly thrown over the drawer and someone had taken off a set of beginner-level iron armor and carelessly threw it on the ground. Rin followed the voices until her eyes fell on the bed that she had so intimately acquainted herself with. And, she found her own body, pinned down beneath someone. A woman. She couldn't see her face, only her strong frame, and the flaming orange-blonde hair that cascaded down her back.
The two of them were locked in a fiery kiss and Rin, her consciousness, walked to the bed to see the face of this woman. But, before she could, her eyes opened.
It was still nighttime. Rin blinked. [Again?] She thought, as she shifted onto her side and eyed her backpack, full of the things she'd steal from those she slept with. Most of them, just like the customers she stole them from, were things she'd forgotten about. All but one.
A golden necklace that she had stolen two years ago but just couldn't sell. It belonged to one of the few female clients she'd ever had the actual, true, pleasure of working for. It was one of the few nights she'd had while working this job that she remembered fondly.
[I can't forget her, but I can't fully remember her either. Isn't that some shit?] Rin laughed before closing her eyes once again.
This time, it would be morning before she opened her eyes again, and her life went on normally.
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