Solo A Visit to Mother

[Aron De Soto]

Second of Summer, 513 Aron entered the lobby of the small, cramped building. It was white stone, cracked and aged from the salt that had burrowed into its sides and split the stone. The tiles on the roof were covered in mosses and seagull droppings. No sign hung from it, no sign as to what the building could possibly be save for an ornate brass and red glass oil lamp that burned brightly on a hook to the left of the door. For Aron, that was all it needed to advertise the wares within. It was at the west end of West Street, down near the docks where Aron himself made his home on the Courtesan. This had been his childhood home, and it was still the home of his mother Vanis. The brothel was a small one, with only five rooms available for clients. There was a tiny kitchen that Aron wasn't confident a grown man could fit into, a comfortable seating area that seemed designed to ensure its occupants sat in each others' laps, and a sweeping desk at the front for guests to pay for their time. The interior had been draped in red cloth a long while ago to disguise the cracks in the plaster, and the finish on the wood was suffering. How the place had changed from the time Aron had lived here. When he had lived here as a child up until his seventeenth birthday, the brothel had been owned by a nasty harpy who had mutilated five women including his mother. While not formally slaves, as slaves were illegal in Zeltiva, having one's feet removed didn't contribute much in the way of freedom. In this way, the whores here were slaves and yet not. Aron still remembered the words of the former madam... if the girls wanted to go complain to the lord of the city, they could go when they could walk. His mother had once entertained the idea of Aron carrying her to the lord, but it was clear that a teenage boy couldn't manage such a journey with a full grown woman in his arms. Now, the place was comfortable and the women were paid adequately. The old footless whores had retired or passed away long ago, and Aron's mother had taken over as the madam of the house. This was her home, and she actively sought to fix the wrongs that had been done here. Aron set his coat on the old iron hangers by the door and smiled gently at the surroundings. There was no one at the desk, Ruby must be upstairs with a client. He walked down the hallway, ignoring the stairs that led up to the girls' rooms, and knocked on the door of an office. He opened the door and smiled at the woman working at the desk. His mother's dark blonde hair was streaked with grey, and her face full of lines, but she looked more alive than she had been when Aron was a child. Vanis looked up and smiled. "Banisa! You haven't been to visit me in such a long time! Come here and give your mother a hug, you know I'd be up if I could get out of this chair on my own." she chuckled, and Aron was happy to oblige her. She always used the Svefra word for 'beloved' for him. "Where is Beron?" she asked him as he straightened and took a seat across from her tiny workdesk. "I sold him. To a glassblower in Wind Reach. He most likely won't be using those skills you taught him unless the glassblower has a daughter; he was sold as a scribe." Aron said. Vanis laughed. "Too bad, I liked Beron! The little rascal will be getting into trouble in no time. You may have been able to take the brat out of the streets, but you can't take the streets out of the brat." she grinned. "I shouldn't have that problem with my newest project." Aron said, resting back in his chair. "She's a Kelvic. Trusting, curious, played right into my hands." Vanis' eyes clouded a bit. "Banisa...you know how much I disapprove of your slaving. Who is this poor girl?" she asked. "Leith Mournlith. Beautiful creature. Black hair, mismatched eyes. I don't know what to train her as yet, I've got to break her first. She's a bird, birds prize their freedom." Aron answered. "I am the only slaver in Zeltiva, mother, and you always told me to find a niche." "I meant as a jeweler, not as a man who traffics in the sort of misery I taught you to avoid. Beron came to you willingly, he wanted to be off the street. So did Erik, and Ulen, and the ten or something other boys." Vanis said sharply. "I never mistreated them, I won't mistreat her. I wanted to ask you for a favour." Aron said defensively. "I know one of the women here, Brook, was a Kelvic when I was a child. I need to know more about her race if I'm to train her." Vanis sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "If you promise me you won't hurt her, banisa." she said. "Alright..."

[Lullaby]

Here is your reward!

Aron De Soto :

Again, you need to have your intervention removed before I can grade this. Once that's done, message me, and I'd be happy to post your grade.

A quiet song to soothe the heart

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