Solo [Loveless]Comrade in Arms

[Halin'a]

25 Summer, 514AV A ship had just docked at Zeltiva, which was good news for Madame Zana; ships brought sailors, sailors who hadn't had the comfort of another body in their bed for a while. As such, even though Halin'a was supposed to be off tonight, the Ethaefal had been called back in. Halin'a had stopped by a tailor on his way home, and had bought some new clothes; several of the other prostitutes had suggested that he'd get more well-paying customers if he wore clothes that would emphasize his good features, rather than what he usually wore, which was just his regular clothes. So, Halin'a had bought a new ramie shirt, a pair of high leather boots, and a pair of linen breeches. He spent only long enough at his apartment to change into his new clothes before returning to Loveless. When he arrived, he let out a low whistle-- the place was packed almost to overflowing. Sailors and other citizens of Zeltiva were everywhere, several of them already with workers in their laps or draped over them. The sailors didn't seem to be picky about what gender their worker was, which didn't surprise Halin'a; sailors generally never were. Cracking his neck, Halin'a waded into the crowd, a seductive smile plastered on his face.

[Halin'a]

It didn't take long at all before Halin'a had a few potential clients, but when he caught sight of one of the younger, newer girls being talked to by a man who towered over her, the Ethaefal brushed off the other people in favor of making his way over to the girl, easily sliding his arm around her waist. The girl, Elena, was small and light; she was also light on her feet. Halin'a had seen her outrun several men who'd tried to grab her when she had been out on the sidewalk, trying to draw in more customers on slow nights. Tonight, however, the room was crowded enough that even she wouldn't be able to run very far if her customer got rowdy or too handsy before the price had been agreed upon. "Hey, Ele," Halin'a said easily, squeezing Elena affectionately; he liked her, but he was also protective of her-- like many, Elena had come to Zeltiva to study at the University. Unlike most, however, she had not had the money necessary for both classes and living-- she had to find a way to make more money, and since she herself said that she didn't have many skills, she'd come to Loveless, and Madame Zana had taken her in. Elena smiled at Halin'a; it was her calculating smile, and Halin'a wondered what was going on in that brain of hers. "Hey, Halin'a," she purred, and ah. Halin'a didn't miss the way the potential client's pupils dilated and his gaze became slightly unfocused. So that's what she's after... "Rob here was just telling me he was looking for a very interesting night, and asked me if I knew of any way to make certain that he got his money's worth." Halin'a pretended to think. "Well," he said slowly, almost drawing the word out into a drawl, "I don't have any clients for the night yet... I don't suppose you've ever shared a girl with a son of Leth?"

[Halin'a]

Halin'a and Elena led the sailor--Rob-- upstairs, to one of the rooms with a larger bed. As they were walking up the stairs, Halin'a leaned down to murmur in Elena's ear, "I'll make sure he doesn't get too rough, all right?" Elena made an irritated noise. "What if I want it rough?" she demanded, raising one eyebrow. Halin'a rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean." Clients were allowed to do a lot of things to the workers they hired, but the one thing that was absolutely forbidden was causing bodily harm beyond bruises and small scratches; those tended to just happen, and were rarely anything to get upset about. Halin'a, however, had seen Rob down at least four glasses of wine while they were discussing the price-- two workers meant that Rob would have to pay twice as much, but that didn't deter the man from his potential bragging rights-- and he knew better than Elena that sailors, especially those who had been at sea for weeks and months at a time, could lose control in the blink of an eye. Halin'a wasn't about to let anything happen to Elena, or any worker that he could help. Halin'a, at least, could get the guy away from Elena long enough for the girl to get security to officially remove him from the premises if things went belly-up in a bad way. Elena sighed, and nodded. "Yeah, I do," she agreed; they didn't get the chance to talk anymore, however, as they had arrived at the room they would be using for the next bell or two. ~~~/*\*/*\~~~ Rob was rough, but it was more in an I-haven't-enjoyed-actual-sex-and-not-just-my-right-hand-in-a-long-time way rather than an aggressive and potentially dangerous way. Afterwards, when Rob had paid and Halin'a and Elena were left in the room, Halin'a was quick to notice the way Elena winced as she stood. "Sit," he said firmly. "I'm going to get a bath ready for us." Elena raised one eyebrow. "What, didn't get enough action earlier?" Halin'a snorted. "You're a prostitute and so am I, but not everything's about sex," he retorted, grinning when Elena laughed. He poked his head out the door and asked the nearest security guy to bring a tub and hot water; when it was brought, Halin'a offered the man a grateful smile, even more grateful because he respectfully kept his gaze averted from Elena, who was sitting on the bed and taking stock of what was sore and what wasn't. "Come on," Halin'a encouraged, gesturing to the tub when the man had left. "I'll help you clean off." Elena didn't protest, instead smiling at Halin'a as she slipped into the water. Halin'a grabbed a nearby rag and wet it in the water before grabbing the soap and getting the rag sudsy. "Lean forward," he instructed gently, kneeling at the head of the tub, behind Elena's back. When the woman complied, Halin'a used the cloth to start working his way across her shoulders and then down her back, digging into the muscles a bit in an impromptu massage. Elena let out an appreciative groan. "You don't have any experience massaging, right?" Halin'a hummed in affirmation. "You're good, though. Must be natural." Halin'a chuckled. "I've been on Mizahar for fifty-seven years," he pointed out, handing the cloth to Elena so that she could do her front; he wet his hands and then started working them through Elena's hair, massaging her scalp. "I've learned quite a bit." He could hear the smile in her voice. "Obviously. But-- if you've learned so much, why are you working here?" It was a question that Halin'a had been asked before-- he was a son of Leth, wasn't it beneath him to be a prostitute? "Same as you," he said finally. "I needed the gold." It was, in essence, the truth-- Halin'a needed a way to earn money, and nothing had truly appealed to him. In the end, he'd settled for a decent-paying job, with the occasional bonus from private clients. "This won't be the last job I have, gods willing, but for now, it's the only one I've got."

[Redd]

Halin'a

Knowledge :

Skills

Skill	XP
Observation	+3XP
Seduction	+1XP
Socialization	+1XP
Massage	+1XP

Lores
➢ New Clothes, means well-paying customers
➢ Sailors: Not picky about gender
➢ Elena: Small and Light
➢ Prostitution: A way to earn mizas
➢ Rob: A rough client
➢ Prostitution: Beneath a son of Leth?

Micellaneous :

Injuries
➢ N/A
Loot/Expenses
➢ N/A

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Notes

➢ Not much to give in the way of skills and lores, but I enjoyed the thread. It was certainly interesting to see that Halin'a has befriended a fellow worker.

➢ Make sure your ledger reflects your purchases within this thread.

➢ Seeing as there is currently no ST within Zeltiva and Autumn is closing in us quickly, you can request your wages from Help Desk. Make sure to add your job threads in the request.

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If you feel that I have left out something or made an error of some kind, please do not hesitate to contact me. If you have any questions or comments, again feel free to contact me. I don't bite, I swear. Also, remember to either delete your grade request or edit it as 'graded'.