RFC-Mini Arc 4: Night Life-20 (Patreon)

I grin, pushing the two separate piles of tokens to the dealer as I stand. “Can you hold onto these for me?”

“Your crowns will be ready when you want them. Or they can be charged for future credit.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.” I turn toward Wren, holding out a hand. She tosses her nose up at me and stomps away, heading for a door. I chuckle. Wonder how long she’ll be able to keep up that attitude. She’s already broken once.

“Lou!”

I turn to Alana, who is panicking for some reason. “Hm?”

“You can’t…” Again, she stumbles when it comes to debauched details and shakes her head.

“Oh, I can. And I’m going to.” I grin at Wren who is stopped by the door, looking over her shoulder at us. I waggle my fingers and she turns away.

“You said you wouldn’t leave me alone!” She looks genuinely panicked at the idea.

“I didn’t say you couldn’t come with. Or stick with Kierra. That’s what Maxine is doing.” They are currently the center of a group of customers, enjoying flattering and conversation, Max taking on the majority of the back and forth while Kierra sits curled up like a lazy cat. I’m ready to post Cloud as another possible supervisor but I quickly discard that idea when I see her making out with one of the boy toys in the corner. “You’re fine, Alana. I’ll be back…soonish.”

I give her a friendly pat on the shoulder before stalking toward my target. Once I’m nearly there, I turn at the sound of quick footsteps approaching me. If it were possible, my brows would fly off my face.

“Nothing,” Alana growls. She’s so red, I have to wonder if she might collapse from heatstroke. “Not a word. Not a saints damned word.”

I choose to stay silent, turning my attention back to Wren. She gives me a quick look before opening the door. It leads to a hall with several other doorways. The soundproofing is exceptional but I can still hear the going-ons in the rooms. “The signs?” Each door has either a red or green card hanging off its knob. I’ve already figured out their use but there’s Alana who is pretending to be a ghost.

“Red means occupied. Green means its free for use.”

She opens a door with a green card, flipping it to red, revealing an average-sized room. The furnishings are minimum, with a larger than average bed, a single dresser by its side and an armoire beside that. There’s a door on the opposite side of the room that I can smell soap from.

“The rope by the door brings a servant if you need anything. Bathroom’s over there.” Wren sniffs. “I insist you use it.”

“Please, you first.”

She gives me a half-offended look but accepts the courtesy, shutting the door firmly behind her. I jaunt forward and drop onto the bed. Alana wobbles in front of me before dropping down beside me. “This is so bad.”

“You’re the one who followed me.”

“I’m drunk.” She giggles but stops them by putting a hand over her mouth. “Saints, what am I doing? Don’t answer that!” she cuts me off before I can respond. “I should go. This…I can’t—”

“Alana, relax. I’m not dragging you into a threesome.” I stand from the bed and yank the rope beside the door. I hear a chime above me. Ah, so the servants are on the floor above us. And they’re quick. There’s a knock on the door in less than a minute. A young girl, far too young to be doing some of the ‘work’ here, bows her head deeply. “How can I assist you?”

“Hi. Could I have a chair? Something comfortable, she’ll be sitting for awhile. And—” I pause, looking over my shoulder at Alana, who is lying on the bed. “What would you like to drink?”

“I don’t need any more alcohol, Lou.”

“You want to handle the rest of the night sober?” I chuckle at her groan. “Something for my friend. Something strong. Bring the whole bottle. Best one you have.”

“2 crowns,” she says softly. Perhaps a bit hesitantly. Her tense shoulders ease as I hand over the money, bowing her head before rushing off.

“There. Soon, my friend, you will be so far under the influence, you won’t be able to see straight.”

“My ears will still work,” she whines, throwing an arm over her eyes. She moves it a fraction to fix an eye on me. “Why are you messing with that girl anyway? I’m sure you could have found someone…in a far better mood. Especially for the amount you paid. Did I drunkenly imagine you giving a woman 300 gold to sleep with you?”

“No, that happened.”

“Saints.”

“Don’t worry. I won my money back plus extra.”

“You didn’t answer the original question.”

A soft knock draws my attention back to the door. I open to find a different servant, this one a young boy, standing outside the door holding a chair with ample cushioning in one hand and a tray in the other. I open the door wide and he slips into the room, setting the chair by the bed and the tray on the dresser before hurrying out.

“Come on then.” I move the chair over to the dresser before grabbing Alana and dumping her on the well-padded seat. Uncorking the bottle, I give it an approving sniff before pouring a healthy amount in a glass. I hand it to my friend who quickly downs it, lips twisting at the taste of strong alcohol.

“With any luck, I’ll pass out soon.”

“Saints hoping.” I turn away so she doesn’t see my smile. I think I understand my friend. She’s very uptight with far more staunch morals than I’ve ever had, but…but she’s also more like me then she wants to admit. I think, some part of her, some part of her buried by the future saint her conscience is nurturing, wants to be here. Wants a little taste of my way of thinking. And its gained sway under the influence of drink.

I want to feed that part of her, let it grow. I doubt she’ll ever reach my levels of deviancy but maybe she’ll indulge herself more often and that sounds like fun.