Solo Windfall

[Aaliyah Tabr]

Fall 78th

By force of long habit, Aaliyah woke with the dawn bell. It never failed - the sun would rise, and Aaliyah would wake. It was a useful talent to have, assuming she'd gotten any actual sleep. Less so when she'd been rented for a night of delicious company and had spent less than two bells in bed actually sleeping. Alas, she was awake enough to silently curse her father and wish her brother had been the one to inherit his work ethic, and that was awake enough to rise and face the day.

Regardless, Aaliyah allowed herself to languish for a few moments. She had nowhere to go but out into a brisk late-fall morning. Her client was an East Quarter merchant with a sharp wit and soft edges. Tangled up in him as she was, she could let herself linger. She enjoyed the warmth of another.

Slowly, Aaliyah stretched, lips twitching into an easy smile as the fatigue leaked from her muscles and uncovered the soft ache of a night well spent. She'd gently untangled herself from the sleeping merchant and was quietly picking through the contents of his dresser when the door opened and the merchant's partner stepped in, carrying their food rations and greeting Aaliyah with a yawn and a half-asleep "Morning."

Aaliyah flashed them a bright smile. "Morning! Do you have a brush I could use? I can't find one anywhere."

"Try the drawer on your left," they said as they moved past the bedroom and into the kitchen. "There's still no meat, but plenty of bread. You're welcome to stay and break fast."

Aaliyah stayed for a modest breakfast, brushing the night's tangles from her long hair and chatting with the merchant's partner. "What's day looking like so far?" She asked, leaning back in her seat by the kitchen table after she'd eaten and her hair was soft and smooth again. She was still naked. "I didn't exactly dress for a winterly ocean breeze - I might have to charm a proper coat out of you."

Her host chuckled, putting away the rest of the day's rations. "You're in luck," they said. "There's heat coming from the Aperture today - it's not near as cold out as it should be. A neighbor swore up and down they saw a haze over the bridges. Seems the city's feeling warm-hearted."

Aaliyah brightened considerably at that, rising to her feet to find her clothes. "A wonderful sign! If the city's in heat, today's bound to be fun." She moved back into the bedroom to dress, leaving a long kiss with the merchant as he stirred from sleep and a grateful hug with his partner, and stepped outside.

All around, Nyka was coming alive. So close to winter, there wasn't a true Nykan alive who wouldn't be determined to take a warm day for the gift it was, and Aaliyah turned towards the Celestial Quarter. Ordinarily when she was in the East Quarter this early she'd be heading to the docks to ply her trade with sailors and dockhands looking to start the day on a high note, but instead she joined the trickle of people heading inward to the Aperture. On a day like this, the first thing to do was throw something pretty off a bridge - otherwise the Aperture might decide to do something less pleasant.

[Aaliyah Tabr]

In the morning, Nyka had perked up bright and early, eager to face the day. By the time the flow of foot traffic brought Aaliyah to the Bridge of Beginnings which connected the East Quarter and Celestial Square, Nyka was wide awake and buzzing with activity. The heat carried with it the frenetic energy of the last minute, and every Nykan felt it. The mix of excitement, dread, and sense of urgency that pervaded the air meant the streets were packed with Nykans each working out the energy in their own way, whether it was last-minute arrangements suddenly remembered, getting ready for a distant future, or simply looking for a way to get their mind off it all.

Voices were louder, fights were fiercer, and Aaliyah couldn't stop smiling. She passed a woman at a street corner who plucked a cantering rhythm from a mandolin, and two streets beyond that was a man who carried the exact same tune with a flute, and Aaliyah let her feet and hips step and sway to it as she walked, flowing with the crowd over the Bridge of Beginnings. Her gold-dark shimmering skin, yellow eyes, and the flash-fire streaks of red in her hair might mark her to many as an outsider - permanently, to some - but she was as in tune with the airs and energies of Nyka as anyone. She focused on that as she reached the midpoint of the bridge, fished a whole laat from her coin purse, kissed it, and flung it into the Aperture.

Her father was a merchant and her mothers were a bard and a city.

Aaliyah stopped in Celestial Square to buy a pink scarf and called the tenth-laat she paid for it a proper apology to Laat for consigning a whole one to the Aperture. Between the merchant buying her the night previous and plans to meet a more regular client and close friend that night for more of the same, Aaliyah had planned to take the day off to rest and relax. On reflection, she decided she still would. She'd be feeling the lack of sleep soon enough. But she'd be a fool not to work the crowd on a day when Nyka had its blood up, and she was far from dressed for it. She'd worn a shirt and vest, and nothing pink. At best, she looked unfashionable. At worst, she looked foreign. Aaliyah ducked into a less packed side street and got to work.

She left the skirt alone - it was light enough that it revealed and flattered the curve of her hips. After unlacing and removing her vest, Aaliyah pulled her shirt up over her head and off, baring her chest for all to see while she folded the shirt up and tied it around her hips. The scarf she'd bought earlier worked as a decent hip scarf to cover most of it and as a nod to current fashion.

There was still a trickle of foot traffic through the side street Aaliyah had co-opted as a changing room, most of which Aaliyah had entirely ignored as she worked, favoring a few men and women who looked genuinely interested with a sultry smile but finding no takers. One man with laughter in his voice had called out to her asking what she was charging, but blanched and hurried away when she actually named a price. Disappointing.

She had finished rearranging her shirt and new hip scarf and was about to throw on her vest and lace it up to bare her midriff and accentuate her breasts when another man with a spring in his step and a confident smile approached her. "'scuse me," he said. "I have an apartment just over there if you'd like somewhere more private to, ah, finish. I also have a half-disk if you'll help me finish."

Aaliyah's smile was edged with genuine pleasure. Not one whit for the privacy, but entirely at the promise of quick and easy money. She left her vest folded over one arm and leaned forward a touch, hips cocked as she presented herself in the most willing and desirable way she could. "That sounds delightful," she said with as much of a purr as she could muster while still being heard over the general din of the city. "A half-laat will buy my mouth. The whole disk will get you something more... substantial."

His confident smile became a proper grin, and Aaliyah could see his shoulders twitch in a low chuckle even if she couldn't hear it. "I'm not rude enough to haggle - half is good. I have somewhere to be anyways. Come this way."

Aaliyah decided she liked this man.

[Aaliyah Tabr]

For someone with places to go he sure hadn't been in a hurry. The next bell had sounded while Aaliyah made her way back to Celestial Square proper ten laats richer. She kept to the edge of the crowds, looking and feeling like a proper harlot, smiling and beckoning at passers by who looked her way, preening just a bit more every time her body and improvised outfit turned a head or kept a glance lingering longer than necessary. Occasionally she'd be approached, money would change hands, and she'd lead someone somewhere more private, or she'd drape herself across someone's arm and be led.

Her fourth taker didn't so much find her as he was jostled and pushed up to her, drifting along the main current of people until a rushing courier bumped into him and deflected him her way with a look of wonder on his face. The way he looked around at everyone and everything with apparent awe - told her he was most likely Cored enough to think he was walking among the gods, or had turned into a particularly agile chair. She went up to him and greeted him with a smile and a soft touch to his arm as she steered him further from the rushing traffic. "You look like you're having a good time, hey?"

He beamed at her. "Yes! I made a new friend! His name is Azim! He sold me the most amazing concoction!"

The man was talking too loudly, almost shouting, and he kept looking around at anything that caught his eye - a bird flitting overhead, an uneven cobblestone, his own reflection in a window. He was barely aware of her. She wrapped one arm around his waist and another over his shoulders and then pulled him close. Pressed her body against him. She had to stand tip-toed and pull him down a touch to bring her lips up to his ear. "Oh!" He exclaimed, and then continued at a more agreeable volume. "We're hugging now." He put his arms around her. "You're so friendly! Do you also know Azim?"

Well, at least he was reacting and addressing her directly. That probably meant he didn't think he was sensually embracing Uphis. Maybe. Aaliyah spoke into his ear. "Yes, I do know Azim." She knew exactly one half of Azim, which had been his cut of her earnings when she hadn't had the skill or confidence to walk the streets or find regular customers, instead working in dens like the Cave of Wonders. "I also have some friends at the Infirmary who would be very happy to hear how Azim's doing these days. You know how busy those doctors are - they just can't find the time to see their friends."

"How terrible!" He actually sounded mildly distressed. "I should bring them his regards! I'm sure if they're half as nice as you or Azim we'll be the best of friends in no time!"

They'd be nice enough to keep him from walking into the Aperture chasing some phantasm, at least. Or from hurting himself and others if he'd been sampling Azim's special blend. One of them might even be nice enough to check if he still had all his bits in order after wandering the city with no sense of pain or place.

His grip on her tightened, pressing her even closer to him. "You're so nice," he said, his lips brushing her ear. His hands wandered down from her back to her hips. If the growing pressure against her middle was anything to go by, he still had at least one bit in the right place. His voice deepened with desire. "And you smell so good."

A slow smile spread across Aaliyah's face as he touched her. "Well," she purred. Moved a hand from his back down to his thigh. "For two laats I can be very nice." At some point they'd gravitated towards the side of the street they were on, and Aaliyah felt her back touch the wall of the building as he pulled up her skirt, lifted her up by her hips and kissed his way down her neck.

"Two?" He sounded surprised, like he couldn't believe his luck. "Azim wanted ten for the core! You have a deal!"

Since he was already holding her up, she might as well use it. Aaliyah wrapped her legs around him. "Did Azim do this?" She rolled her hips against him, grinding herself against the bulge in his trousers.

He groaned. His grip tightened until he was digging his fingers into her thighs. Aaliyah smiled proud and wicked as she arced away from him and he pulled back enough that he could look into her bright yellow eyes while she slid a hand down his chest to the laces of his trousers. He couldn't look away. The need in his voice was reverent. "Your eyes shine like the sun."

[Aaliyah Tabr]

After Aaliyah left her new 'friend' staggering towards the infirmary and he left her with trembling thighs, a lingering haze of bliss, and two very well-earned laats, it was mid-afternoon. She started moving north. As pleasant as it was, the warm day was still a Fall day - short and getting shorter. If she planned to spend the night in the North quarter, Aaliyah wanted to be across the bridge before the sun touched the horizon. Not even the promise of coin and a night of vigorous loving would get Aaliyah to cross the Aperture at sunset.

Proceeding at a leisurely walk, stopping and occasionally being stopped by prospective customers, she was over the Bridge of the Dead with maybe a bell to spare. As the sun lowered more and more of the people she met were less interested in seeing her on her knees than finding the safety of their own quarter.

Her friend and owner for the night was Dipari Singh, a tall, muscular, broad-shouldered woman who worked with her hands. She greeted Aaliyah at the mouth of a side street with a bright smile and lifted her up into a warm hug and a deep kiss. Aaliyah kissed her back. She liked Dipari. She had very soft lips for someone with so much muscle.

Dipari set Aaliyah down and put an arm around her waist, grabbing her hip with a strong hand and pulling her to her side as she led Aaliyah towards her apartment. "Aaliyah! Cutting a it a bit close tonight! How are you feeling?"

Aaliyah leaned into Dipari, enjoying the feel of her solid body as she looked up at her and smiled. "Used," she purred, putting her own arm around Dipari and her other hand over the one Dipari had on her hip. The rough, casual handling had already lit a delicious warmth in her core. "Feed me and use me some more?"

Dipari's easy smile became a grin. "Of course, pet," she growled, and pulled her into her bedroom.

[Aaliyah Tabr]

Fall 79th - Morning

The morning after, Aaliyah once again woke with the dawn bell. She was tired, sore, she had ten new finger-shaped bruises on her tender hips where Dipali had dug her fingers into her while she'd rutted Aaliyah into the bed, and she was entirely content.

As much as she wanted to linger in Dipali's strong arms and admire the red streaks she'd clawed into Dipali's back, Dipali was almost as early a riser as she was. She was stirring before long, and Aaliyah greeted her with a soft kiss. "Good morning."

Dipali yawned. "Mornin' 'liyah," she mumbled, eyes only half open.

"You were waiting for me," Aaliyah said with a small smile. It was hard not to smile so warm and tangled up in someone she liked, but this was something more.

"Mm?" Dipari stretched and yawned again, and Aaliyah sighed in pleasure at the feeling of Dipali's strong body moving against hers as she came alive.

"Yesterday," Aaliyah clarified. "You were waiting for me in the street outside. Usually I come to your door."

"I was worried," Dipali admitted. "The sun was setting and you weren't-" another yawn "you weren't here. I care about you."

Aaliyah kissed her again.

They shared breakfast and pleasant company while Dipali finished waking up and Aaliyah brushed her hair, and then they dressed. Aaliyah's shirt was a mess of wrinkles after having been tied around her waist the whole previous day and the state of her skirt made her wonder why she even owned any skirts that weren't split, but eventually she was presentable enough to linger on Dipari's doorstep and give her a farewell kiss. "I had a wonderful night."

Dipali's soft smile and gentle touches were a far cry from the night's roughness. "Me too. Thank you."

Little could dampen Aaliyah's good mood as she walked away, looking back to see a smiling Dipali looking at her - not even the sudden shower of rain, though it did literally dampen her.

Aaliyah looked up. The sky was fairly clear, so this was either an early winter rain that wouldn't last long, or it was some Nyka strangeness, in which case it could certainly be worse.

ping

Aaliyah turned at the sharp sound of ringing metal, but couldn't find the source until ping a greenish metal ring hit the street with a sharp pingpingping more rings fell from the sky, and Aaliyah flinched at a sudden pain in her shoulder and head pingpingpingpingping she ran back, almost falling into Dipali's arms in her rush to get through the door and off the street, aching in several more places where she'd been hit by the falling rings.

Dipali caught her easily, steadying her in her arms. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Aaliyah said, panting slightly, looking out through the doorway at the rain of metal.

It didn't last long - a few chimes at most - and it was over as abruptly as it started, leaving streets and roofs sprinkled with rings that the bold and the greedy and the plain opportunistic were already gathering up. Aaliyah followed Dipali as she stepped out and picked up a ring to examine more closely.

"What is it?"

Dipali looked the ring over, turning it to examine every side, and eventually popped it into her mouth. "No idea," she said eventually, taking the ring out of her mouth. It was bent slightly where she'd apparently bit it. "Some kind of soft metal. Figure these might be worth something?"

Aaliyah was already bent over and gathering rings with the rest of the opportunists as soon as she figured the rings wouldn't catch fire or melt Dipali's tongue. "Might be," she said, pouring a fistful of rings into her coin pouch with one hand as she gathered more with the other. She shot Dipali a wink over her shoulder. "Only one way to find out, yeah?"

Aaliyah eventually had a hefty bit of the greenish rings both packed into her coin purse and folded into her hip scarf, and decided to head home via the West Quarter. At the point of crossing she found a monk of Xannos and untied and unfolded her scarf, offering her the rings inside. "Praise be to Xannos. Will you accept these rings as an offering? I'm curious to know what they are."

The hammer-wielding monk laughed. "Praise be to Xannos indeed, girl! I accept your offering. It is a good day." She was in such high spirits that she even took the time to transfer the rings into a pocket inside her robes rather than simply take the scarf. "The rings are electrum - part copper and part gold. Our jewelers are simply beside themselves. Laat's coin-kissers are already staking claims on the gold, as if this isn't the clearest sign of Xannos' favor." The monk clasped Aaliyah's shoulder and smiled. "Go with her blessing."

Wide-eyed and thoroughly honored, Aaliyah thanked the monk profusely and crossed into the West Quarter with a confident stride. She made it all the way to her home in the South Quarter unharmed and unchallenged.

[Dravite]

G R A D E S

Aaliyah Tabr

Experience

• Seduction: 3
• Flirting: 4
• Observation: 5
• Socialization: 5
• Cosmetology: 2
• Negotiation: 1
• Endurance: 1
• Persuasion: 2
• Rhetoric: 1
• Organisation: 1
• Planning: 1
• Acting: 1
• Investigation: 1

Lore

• Flirting and persuasion go hand in hand
• Location: The Aperture, Nyka
• Location: Celestial Square, Nyka
• Cosmetology: Changing up a look with a scaft
• Aaliyah The Harlot
• Negotiation: Money for sex
• Dipari Singh: Soft lips
• Dipari Singh: Forgetful
• Xannos: Demigoddess of Gemcutting

Notes

Love your writing style. Beautiful work. Enjoy the rewards.