Closed [Pig's Foot Tavern] The Temptation of a Woman (Kechaiya)

[Caela Dorin]

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28th Fall 514AV

She'd been back at work for a day already and yet the idea of dancing was still a nerve wracking experience. She'd been as active as she'd dared the day before although she'd still been cautious. Too cautious perhaps if the reactions of the patrons had been anything to go by. Caela had her admirers, the regulars who came to the Pig's Foot for the express purpose of seeing her dance. It wasn't some vain and fantastical notion that she'd gotten into her head; they really came for her. They'd asked for her doing her absence but had jeered her when she'd made her reappearance. Apparently her dancing hadn't been raunchy enough for them, one going so far as to fling a bottle to shatter at her feet. It had not been a good beginning and a mercenary had had to accompany her home, the young woman fearing for her safety. She didn't want to have one of her admirers following her home after all.

Today she would have to do better or face the ire of the customers. Yesterday had left a dull ache in her injured right side but she was sure that by the time she was finished work it'd be throbbing. The dancer had to perform better; it was demanded of her.

Her outfit had been carefully chosen for the occasion. The fancy, pink multi-layered skirt that she had once worn during her attempt at table top dancing had made its reappearance today. Most of the tease had to be done with her legs after all. The sheer white stockings that accompanied it had been added to the ensemble as well as a plain white blouse. She hadn't dared to wear the skirt and stockings to work, changing in the back room instead earning some twinges in her side for the effort. Her emergence into the bar area once more had elicited some whistles but the blonde feigned indifference as she made her way up to the bar. The wine that normally came before such performances was placed in front of her without her having to ask and she flashed a grateful smile in her employer's direction.

The drink was consumed quickly in little sips the taste of the liquor from pleasant but she needed it. While normally it did the trick of warming her up and adding to her confidence - if only psychologically - today it was also needed to help dull any pain that she might experience. Caela wasn't going to drink enough to get drunk, especially as she needed to be coordinated for dancing but even that small amount would help somewhat. So she hoped at least. If the pain was bad afterwards then she'd have another and if it was really bad then she might just consider visiting that foreign doctor, Kechaiya, for the medicines that she'd mentioned.

Her liquid courage warming - or possibly burning through - her insides, the young woman took to the floor. She didn't hurry herself. Soft, slow steps brought her to a clear space that was to be today's stage, her hips swinging enticingly from side to side. The movement wasn't overly exaggerated but not subtle either; they would see. Her mask of indifference broke for a smile for a favoured few, the dancer hardly concerned with who earned her "interest". She smiled and winked at them sure but that didn't mean that she actually really saw them.

Once she was in position the blonde stopped. Her hips still swayed slightly as if she was unconsciously moving to some music that only she could hear. It was intentional of course. It meant that she directed where their attention would wander. When the actual music started there was a quick reminder to herself that she was to avoid moving her stomach muscles as much as possible before she was in action. It was slow at first the swaying becoming more noticeable and the skirt lightly swishing against the tops of the stockings. Then her feet moved the young woman counting simple steps in her head, no real complexity needed when nobody was going to be paying any attention to her feet. Everyone's attention was drawn higher up.

Her entire body became absorbed in the movement, her torso becoming just as occupied in the dancing as her lower half. It made the muscles in her right side begin to ache but she gritted her teeth and got on with it. Nobody would notice that she was in pain not that she was doing a good job of hiding it. Anyone who bothered to look would see it in the set of her mouth and in her eyes no matter how neutral she tried to make her expression. Her hands were used to distract attention away in case someone decided to look to closely, fingers sliding through and over hair, down the curve of her neck, skimming the side of a breast. Fingers rode over the material of her skirt, the fabric dragged up slightly to reveal layers of frilly white underskirts before it was allowed to drop again.

If all worked as she intended then her spell on her audience should be complete.

ReceiptPitcher of wine -2SM.

[Kechaiya]

Kechaiya was in a thoroughly foul mood today. She was hungry and food was becoming harder and harder to find, even if you had the coin like she did. But that was just the lesser annoyance in her day. Earlier, she'd been patching up varying degrees of combat wounds for this small gang known as the The Mumbling Bumbles or something equally ridiculous. Things started off fine, they paid, seemed happy to have found a doctor to fix them up, especially down by the docks. They day was beautiful, so fixing them in the open air wasn't as big of a problem as it normally ended up being. The wounds themselves weren't even that difficult, a few stitches here, a poultice there, all was going well.

Then that prostitute walked by. Tall, busty, hair like fire, skin like marble, she diverted the gazes of all the men she was working on. The lack of attention didn't bother her. But then the men began joking amongst themselves. Harmless at first.

"Oy, think the color of her jib matches the main sail?"

"You know a bitch that beautiful ain't got no jib."

There was a hearty round of laughter, and Kechaiya hadn't the slightest idea why it was funny. She'd been on various boats for a few years, and knew a little of which sails were which, but still, the joke escaped her. She paid no mind, just trying to get her work done as they continued.

"It's been so long since my knob has been polished, probably take her four ticks."

"I know wutchya mean. I love when they stare at you when ya finish in their gullet. Especially if they gots dem pretty eyes."

"Yeah, not like this foreign bitch's crazy eyes. They's petchin' spooky."

Kechaiya had been used to this ever since she'd arrived in Sunberth, and only rarely did it bother her. She just ignored it.

"She probably ain't even seen a knob before. I sure as shyke wouldn't let mine near her, I hear her kind has teeth in their muffs."

"She's barely even a woman. Look at dem small titties. Gotta have something a real man can hold on to."

The jokes just got crueler and more graphic, and when Kechaiya was done with her work, she up and left quickly and silently, tears burning behind her ebony eyes. She could handle the racial bias, it came with the territory. But she never knew that she was ugly. This just brought up the memory of her time with Caela several days back, and confirmed it. Men were not attracted to women that looked like her. This turned her mind to Noven, one of the few people she'd met that seemed genuinely nice and caring toward her. Maybe he just thought of her as another pity case to take care of, like the orphans in his charge.

She stewed in her self-consciousness and bitterness as she wove through the streets, shoving open the doors to the Pig's Foot. Kechaiya had drank on occasion but had always done so in small amounts, usually while eating. She'd heard drinking could make you feel better. Looking around the tavern, she found a rarity, an empty table. She plopped herself down in it, assuming no one would want to join an ugly, black eyed freak. The barmaid came over and Kechaiya ordered a pitcher of wine, handing the woman two silvers in pay, and a third as tip. When the pitcher and goblet arrived, Kechaiya downed a cupful immediately, slamming the up back down, still rather upset, ignoring the burning in her throat and stomach.

Her eyes were unfocused on the surroundings and the many patrons around her as she poured herself another drink. Her festering was interrupted by an outburst of cheers and catcalls. Kechaiya looked up, only groaning in even more annoyance, watching as the petching beauty queen of Sunberth strolled toward the bar. Kechaiya watched as all the men, and even a few woman, were all completely focused on her, absolutely enamored. Kech wanted to tell herself that if she dressed like... that, men would do the same for her, but that was a lie. She downed yet another goblet of the wine, not noticing anything from the drink aside from the burning. Petching shyke probably didn't even work.

She followed Caela as she moved over to her impromptu stage, and began her dance. Although her dance was a style Kechaiya didn't really know, having only experience in the traditional dances of the Chaktawe people. It was much different in the sense that it wasn't an attempt to tell a story. It just looked like she was trying to show as much skin as possible, without showing everything. Kechaiya could at least respect the difficulty and grace the moves required, but the dance style itself did nothing for her. Looking around though, men couldn't get enough of them. She watched as one slack jawed fool actually drooled into his beer as he watched. The more and more the doctor watched men lose themselves at the sight of her performance, the more bitter Kechaiya got.

She poured another goblet, not even realizing that the wine's effects were already beginning to kick in. There was movement near to her and she looked over as a man approached her, grinning like an idiot. But when she looked at him, he flinched at the sight of her eyes. "You need this extra chair?" She just scoffed and looked away, and he took the chair. There had been a glimmer of hope in her that he would make some sort of comment on her, but with Caela in the room, she wasn't just ugly, she was near invisible. Bitch. She drank down her third goblet, fuming and glaring at the dancer, paying no mind to the pained look on her face.

[Caela Dorin]

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The tempo of the music picked up at its own accord, forcing the dancer to increase her speed as well, the quick-quick-slow pace that the dancer was using forced into a faster one over all. She allowed her feet to settle gradually into the new rhythm while focusing on speeding up the movements of the rest of her body to cover it. Once she was comfortable with her new tempo the blonde used it in moving about the room again. One moment her feet would bring her in a danced sidestep while the next would be heading in the same direction except accompanied by a spin to add some variety.

The dance would draw her close to one table, the blonde allowing a hand to rest momentarily on the sticky surface while flashing a wink and a smile at the lucky occupants and spinning away before they decided to get grabby. A particularly seductive twist of her form - which set her side ablaze with such pain that she wanted to crumple to the floor - would be accomplished with her gaze fixed on one particular customer. A kiss would be blown here, a casual touch placed on someone's arm there and her audience lapped it all up, completely unaware that the dancer who seemed so interested in them hated their guts. What did it matter to them that she was in pain? They only cared for a glimpse of flesh and the illusion that this striking blonde woman was interested in them.

It wasn't a good thing to dwell on while she was dancing, her inner hatred likely to contort her features in unsavoury ways and so the thoughts had to be forced into a small section of her mind and left for her to brood over later. For now it was all about entertaining the watchers and praying for the end to come.

A trick that she had often adopted over the years was made use of now. Hips shimmied and knees bent slightly as her hands slid down to the hem of her skirt and dragged it upwards to the point where her fingers met the top of the stocking. The garter that held it in place was secure but was now brought up higher, inching away from the material that it was designed to hold up. It wasn't dragged completely free, not yet and the skirt was allowed to drop again, which was met from a number of groans from the crowd. A mischievous smile was flashed their way before the dancer was on the move again. The garter would slip gradually now of its own accord but Caela liked to know when it would free the stocking completely and so she orchestrated it.

Hands that ran over her skirt clawed back up the material, the bends in her fingers subtle as she hooked the tips on the garter beneath the material and pulled it upwards. It took a few attempts spaced over a couple of chimes but the crowd didn't grow bored with the regular stuff very quickly. At last, the garter came free and the stocking slid down her left leg. It had been timed so that she was near a table when it gained its liberty and so she was able to move herself close to it and prop her foot up against the side of a chair that one of the men was sitting in. The fingers of both hands caught the sheer material and dragged it back up her leg smoothly and quickly up into the underskirts. The skirt was hoisted up more in the process, showing more thigh than was normal for her more mundane performances. Thumbs hooked the garter and slid it back down over the stocking while the stocking was held in place by her fingers.

It was a swift movement and one well practiced, the trickiest and slowest part the repositioning of the garter but it was over and done with and the dancer gone before the man whose chair she'd used could get over the shock of what had happened.

It was only a few more chimes before this particular dance came to its end and with the cessation of the music the blonde was permitted to take a break. Wolf whistles, cheers and applause followed her back to the bar and as often happened a brave few souls came with her but hanging back enough so as not to invade her personal space. They argued amongst themselves to decide who would actually have the honour of speaking to her while the blonde did her very best to block them out as she ordered water. By the time the tankard of liquid had been placed in front of her someone had obviously won out because she found a young man leaning his elbow on the bar beside her. His grin suggested that he was trying to be charming but Caela was far from charmed. She regarded him coolly for a tick and then turned her attention to her water.

"Ya want a drink, love? Only th' best for ya. Best wine in the house if ya'll have it," the youth offered. His offer was met with a cool stare. "No thanks." The water was gulped eagerly but she couldn't enjoy her refreshment in peace, the man annoyingly persistent.

"I'm not like tha' rabble ya know. I appreciate yer fine dancin' an' I'm willing to show you a good time, a damn good time." With the conclusion of his words he rested his hand on her left arm at the elbow, fingers curling lightly around the joint. She could break free of it easily and it was in no way threatening but she didn't like the possessiveness of the gesture like she belonged to him. She belonged to herself and herself alone.

Despite the offence that such a gesture had caused her water was set down and the dancer favoured him with a smile. It was reciprocated, the idiot genuinely thinking that he was in with a chance. Her right hand sought the hand that he'd placed at her elbow, gently loosening his hold and guiding his hand down her arm to the bar. Once there her right hand released him while her left pinned his hand almost playfully before he could retract it. He held it in place, still grinning like a fool as her fingers traced over his knuckles and over the back of his hand. As her left hand worked, she went back to her water draining the tankard.

"I'm glad that you appreciate my dancing, you perverted petching bastard," she told him, her voice soft and sweet. By the time the words rather than the tone sank into his head and the man realised his mistake a tick too late her left hand had already moved out of harm's way and the empty tankard slammed hard against his fingers into the bar top. Her admirer shrieked, hand whipped back as soon as the tankard was moved again cradling now bloody fingers. She didn't know how much damage she'd done, the man retreating hastily and running from the tavern before she had the chance.

"I'll take another water if you please, Merv." The blonde's gaze travelled lazily over the tavern's occupants, noting the way that some of them stared at her openly with shocked countenances while others looked away when her green orbs reached them. The pain in her side was terrible but she'd have to stick with water for the time being. She needed the refreshment and she didn't need to get drunk all that fast either. Perhaps after this she'd hunt down that ebony eyed doctor and... As the thought was crossing her mind, her gaze met the strange dark eyes in question. She stared, matching the fully clothed figure with the woman that had treated her in the Hot Springs. Odd coincidence that. She hadn't seen her before that day in the bathhouse and yet now they'd come across each other again and just when Caela was thinking about her too.

Her water was placed on the bar and the blonde took it absentmindedly, immediately making a beeline for the doctor. "Hello, Kechaiya. I was just thinking about you. Mind if I join you for a chime?"

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[Kechaiya]

Kechaiya's suspicions about Caela's occupation as a stripper were confirmed with the fall of her stocking. That is, until she surreptitiously hooked it back to the garter. From Kech's vantage, she was able to see nearly as much of Caela's thighs as she had at the Hot Springs. All the men were trying to crouch low, to look up her skirts, though Kech suspected that if this dance went on much longer, Caela would have her ladybits on improper display. The men would probably throw the mizas at her then.

Kechaiya was starting to feel a little warm. The room was crowded, but her little table wasn't. It wasn't the good sort of hot either, not the wonderful heat from Syna that the desert had plenty of. It felt like this heat was radiating from within her. But it wasn't wholly unpleasant either. It was a bit comforting even. And it made her thirstier. She poured herself some more wine, sipping at it now, taking her time to actually enjoy it. It seemed to be getting better the more she drank. She looked over her cup to see that Caela was no longer dancing and in fact appeared to have wandered off. Out of mind, out of sight, and Kechaiya was now focusing her attention on this lovely warm feeling growing within her. She could get used to this. The room seemed quieter now too, as if she were in her own little bubble.

Looking over to the bar, her eyes were caught by Caela's. She stared at her, curious as to why she was staring back, though not perturbed by it. Kechaiya kept the gaze as the blonde sauntered over, and asked to join her. If Kech had been paying attention to anything else, she'd notice a lot of jealous and lusting faces accompanied by not so quiet comments.

"I never knew Caela was a skirt chaser."

"Think they'd let us watch them..." The main did a crude display in which he rubbed the cruxes of his pointer and middle fingers from both hands together.

Kechaiya nodded, "Hello Caela. Yes, have seat." Kech thought it odd that Caela had been thinking about her, despite doing the same exact thing herself. "You dance pretty. Different from Eyktol dancers. More... what the word..." Kechaiya was struggling for the word to describe lust inducing. "What the word for wanting make babies?" She hadn't said it like an insult, more as a matter of fact. Then a bit of her grumpiness came forth, "Men like you." Kechaiya's cheeks were starting to flush from her drink, "Dance difficult. You dance good." Then she remembered she'd treated Caela recently. "How stomach muscle?"

[Caela Dorin]

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The dancer flashed a smile at the men in the near vicinity before taking the seat that the doctor offered. She'd heard them of course and continued to do so even as she sat down. Still smiling she spoke between her teeth to Kechaiya, "I petching hate those bastards." The smile died gradually, a sip of water taken to hide the fading of the expression as she focused on the foreigner and the foreigner alone.

The other woman had struck against the language barrier as she tried to compliment Caela's dancing. The blonde wished that she wouldn't talk about it like that. Pretty was certainly the wrong word for it and she reasoned that the doctor knew it too and that's why she was still grasping for the right word. Her question had the young woman wincing. She couldn't be sure if it was supposed to be an insult or if the woman had just said it without really thinking about how it would sound to her ears.

"The word you're asking for is sex," she responded slowly. A twitch occurred in the left side of her face before she continued. "The word I think you're after is sexy. Little different. More make you want to make babies." The young woman sighed. Her hand passed over her forehead on its way to smooth back her hair. The woman probably meant it as a compliment although maybe she was just amazingly honest; it was the only way to describe such dancing after all. Sure it was her job to do it but she didn't want people thinking that that was something that she enjoyed doing. Would the woman think that it went beyond mere coin, that Caela did it for fun or to lure men to bed? The thought made her grimace.

Green eyes darted up to meet the ebony at the woman's next comment. There was something in the tone that made it sound like the doctor was jealous of the attention that the dancer could draw to herself. It earned her a hollow laugh, the blonde shaking her head slightly. "I really wish that they didn't but then some of us can't get by with our brains," the Sunberthian remarked bitterly, giving the outsider a meaningful look. How could she possibly be jealous of her? Perhaps she didn't understand the things those men had said, hadn't seen how she'd acted at the bar or she would have understood the sort of opinions that she garnered. They weren't interested in her for her personality that was for sure.

Kechaiya had behaved oddly towards her in the bathhouse as well and similar thoughts of her jealousy had crossed Caela's mind then too. It wasn't something that the dancer could understand.

The muscle question snapped her out of such thoughts and she shook her head before groaning, "Not good. That's why I thought of you. For the pain." A hand pressed to her right side, the muscle indeed throbbing beneath the surface despite the fact that she wasn't even finished her self-torture for the day yet. "I was going to find you afterwards. I didn't come back 'til yesterday but I took it easy and they weren't... kind so today I have to be in pain. All because men like me." Another sip of water and a mournful glance in Kechaiya's direction.

The woman could help her but perhaps not in her current condition. She wasn't slurring her words but the blonde figured that it was only a matter of time. Her face was flushed and she had a pitcher before her. The dancer couldn't tell what level the liquid within was at and so she assumed that the woman had already had too much to be a good medical professional. Perhaps she was wrong but she didn't want to be poisoned. Best to see if the woman could handle her alcohol before asking her to deal with anything involving the dancer's health.
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[Kechaiya]

Kechaiya let loose a rather strange sound at the comment about brains that Caela had presented. It was somewhere between a giggle and a snort, and hadn't escaped Kech's lips since she was a little girl. Her father had the same strange and weirdly endearing laugh. Her hand shot to her mouth, covering it in shock and mild embarrassment, but she couldn't stop the, for a lack of better words, giggle-snort. After several uncomfortable moments of this sound and then a few of silence, "Men no care about brains. Only like what see, only if what see look like you."

And then Kech just left it out there like that, the silence incredibly awkward. Normally she was very careful about what she said, having to think about it to some degree, due to her lack of fluency. But now it seemed the words spewed as she thought them. She listened quite intently as Caela continued to speak, finding herself staring at the woman's full lips as she spoke. Kech heard what she said, but it took several moments for the words to register. Kech took two main points from her words, the first being that she was in pain. The second was that she was forced to be in pain to get men to like her.

Kechaiya's ebony eyes began to water, realizing how sad of a life that Caela must live. She clearly didn't enjoy these men, or the work she was in, but was forced to do it to survive. Maybe Caela didn't even enjoy the attention. Maybe it was even more difficult for Caela to find someone more significant because of all the men and her line of work. Every way that Kech looked at it depressed her more and more, the tears starting to fall down her cheeks. These thoughts made Kech's own issues seem incredibly unimportant.

And this led Kech wanting to help the dancer, in any way possible. "Have medishine for pain in home, no with me. Have other medishine too, medishine sho no make baby from work with men. Sho you can make baby with man you like."

Kechaiya then wondered if she'd ever have a child. If she were still back in Eyktol, she probably would've had several by now with a man she loved. Her parents would help raise them, help teach them the stories of their people. This led her further into her alcohol induced state, the silent tears becoming quiet sobs. She wanted to talk, to say something else to explain herself, but nothing came out. Then she slumped forward, knocking over her goblet of wine in Caela's direction.

[Caela Dorin]

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Oh it was jealousy all right. Once Kechaiya's true thoughts on the matter had been voiced silence fell between them, the air rife with awkwardness. There was absolutely nothing that she could say to that. Sure the doctor had laughed - if it could be called that - before she'd said it but the meaning behind it was clear. Caela was what men wanted and the foreign doctor didn't meet those standards. That was certainly what she was suggesting at least.

The ebony eyed woman wasn't unattractive per se but the dancer imagined that many men were put off by her more exotic features. Before seeing Kechaiya, Caela hadn't known that black was an eye colour that could exist. Maybe it wasn't something that should exist, the orbs of the woman pools that seemed to suck in light and not let it out again. It was disconcerting but she supposed that it was something that could be grown used to with time. They weren't bothering her as much now as they had when she'd sat down so why couldn't a man grow used to it too?

She felt sorry for the woman, not because she couldn't attract a man but because she seemed to put such importance on it. It was so much worse to put up with the sort of attention that Caela did. To be able to be so inconspicuous and perhaps even avoided was something that the dancer could only dream of. But then the doctor probably didn't want to be avoided because people found her appearance repulsive. Ugliness probably wasn't a happy state of being any more than beauty was. Better to be somewhere between the two the dancer thought.

The sudden onset of the foreigner's tears was met with some alarm from the dancer. She wasn't good with emotional things and she had no idea how to comfort the woman, especially as she had no idea what had set her off. Had she said something to upset her? She'd only been talking about how she was in pain from her dancing. It was the blonde who was in pain and who had reason to cry, not Kechaiya. Maybe she was just really empathetic. Or something. The young woman gave the other a tentative pat on the arm, a gesture that she attempted to make comforting.

The fact that the woman did have medicine for her and that it was already made was some small relief to the dancer in this uncomfortable situation. At least she didn't have to rely on a drunk woman to try to come up with something. The wine could be an explanation for the tears she supposed as she gave the woman another comforting pat. Some people cried when they got drunk. Even the burliest, most masculine of men could be crying drunks she'd found and-

The patting stopped abruptly as what Kechaiya had said half a chime ago sank in. What did she mean? Surely she wasn't suggesting a contraceptive? She didn't honestly think that she slept with these assholes did she? The young woman remained rigid in place, her hand slowly drawn back to her side as she regarded the other with a mixture of horror and humiliation. Colour came to her cheeks and the heat seemed to spread across her whole face as she tried to remember how to speak, to explain to the woman how wrong she'd been. The foreigner seemed to be too far gone for such an explanation, sobbing and drunk as she was but the dancer felt that it had to be given.

Before she had the chance to say anything in her defence, the other had slumped forward and sent wine splashing across the table at her. Her reaction was a quick one, the dancer on her feet before the drinking vessel had even struck the table. She might have been up and out of the way quickly enough but that didn't mean that she'd escaped all harm. There were now droplets of the red liquid splattered over her white blouse and her pink skirt. It looked awfully like blood in the inadequate lighting of the tavern. The young woman swore loudly, earning some curious glances before she waved a barmaid over to tend to the spillage. A rag was offered to her to wipe the moisture on her clothing away but it was too late; it would leave stains.

As the barmaid cleaned, giving the doctor's slumped figure some dirty looks, Caela grabbed the chair she'd just vacated and moved it round the table. The rag was wiped over it to gather up the wine that had spilled onto it before the blonde sat in it again. The serving girl was sent off to fetch water for the drunken foreigner and for the time being Caela's own drink was offered to Kechaiya. "You've had too much wine. Drink water. It'll help," she explained to the woman as she tried to coax her to drink it, laying firm hands upon her if necessary to position her head to pour the liquid in. She wasn't sure if the woman was capable of hearing anything that the dancer might say but she had to at least try to speak her mind.

"I don't need medicine to stop me from having children. I don't work with men like that, I -" she interrupted herself to thank the serving girl for the water, waiting until she was out of earshot before continuing. "I'm not a prostitute. Do you know what that means? A person who has sex for money. They're called whores too but I'm not one of them, understand?" The earnestness that the dancer was trying to get this message across was probably lost on the ebony eyed woman. Caela wasn't even sure that she was properly conscious anymore so what was even the point of trying? It was a shameful assumption that she couldn't live with however and so she tried. If she had to repeat it over and over again until the woman understood then she'd do it.
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[Kechaiya]

Kechaiya looked up at the scuffle of the chair and the swearing from the dancer, not yet realizing her folly. Her eyes floated down to the blood on Caela's clothing, studying it curiously. There shouldn't be blood there. She wasn't hurt, didn't look to be in pain. Her eyes drifted lower, seeing the red wine flowing across the table, only now noticing the spilled goblet. Her goblet. She then noticed the serving girl shooting her dirty looks while she cleaned. No tip for her. Bitch. She had brought her water at Caela's request, who seemed to be more concerned than angry to the doctor. Kechaiya nodded in agreement, and drank some of it, finding it a lot more refreshing than normal. It tasted even better than that time when she was lost in a sandstorm for several days with her father.

When she was thoroughly quenched, noticing the water sitting weird in her stomach, she looked up at the dancer, her vision tunneling on her face, the rest of the background in obscurity. She found herself focusing once more on Caela's lips as she spoke. Apparently Caela was not a 'whore' and never had sex with the men. That certainly improved her in Kechaiya's opinion, even if she was still a stripper. But perhaps being a stripper wasn't as bad if you weren't having sex with the men. It wasn't a lot different than being at the hot springs. Kechaiya was nude in front of strangers all the time there, although they too were in the buff. And the dancing itself was a talent that clearly wasn't one any girl could just pick up and do. If Kechaiya were in Ahnatep as a slave, she might very well be doing the same thing. But thankfully she had escaped that life.

Kechaiya found herself nodding incessantly, "Caela no shex on men. No ish proshtitute." Her mouth was feeling cottony, so she waved the serving girl over again, and slurred her request for more water. The woman brought it with a very forced smile, and Kechaiya found herself grinning like a fool back. The server just scoffed and walked away.

"Thash good. Shex for miza ish no good."

Kech's mind wandered back to Noven, pondering if would ever have her, would ever want her. No man ever had, and while she knew the theory behind the action, the though of it made her nervous. She'd heard that it hurt, and while she could lower the chances of bearing a child, it was never a guarantee. Life always managed to find a way. She wasn't ready for a child, as much as the idea had previously appealed to her. If her father hadn't helped raise her, Gods know where she'd be. If she had one, she wanted the father to be there, to not be like one of the many parents that left children at the orphanages that she tended to. Noven was good with the children, caring, protective, fun, and could cook. He would be a great father. Paying no mind to her surroundings, Kech muttered a bit, "If only Noven look to me like men look to you."

[Caela Dorin]

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The doctor wasn't as far gone as Caela had first feared. Sure she didn't seem to have noticed her little accident at first but at least she'd been cooperative and had begun drinking water of her own accord. Some of her wits were still about her, enough to make the dancer glad that she'd gotten her explanation off her chest now rather than at a later date. The doctor understood what she'd said although how well that would be remembered when her full faculties returned to her was something that the young woman couldn't possibly predict. Repeating what she'd already said was a distinct possibility in the future despite the other's emphatic nodding. Considering the way she was grinning she wondered how good the doctor's tolerance to alcohol was. The fact that she probably hadn't eaten - who had? - wouldn't help matters either.

The dancer sighed as she watched the foreigner, wondering just how much water it'd take to sober her up enough to be able to find her way home and get medicine for her pain. Although she wouldn't have to mix something to dull her pain, it probably wasn't a good idea to release a drunk Kechaiya amongst a range of pre-made medicines; gods knew what she'd end up handing to her. Plus even if the woman could succeed in going home to get it, there was probably little chance of her coming back again so that Caela could enjoy pain free dancing. It might be necessary to find someone to escort the onyx eyed woman back to her room and then carry the painkiller back to her. Why did the stupid, foreign bitch have to get herself drunk in the first place for? It was bloody inconsiderate of her!

The woman's happy drunk demeanour seemed to dim a bit and she murmured something that Caela leaned forward to hear in case it was important. The doctor's words earned a blank stare and a blink from the dancer as some things started to click in her head that registered as odd in her mind. Kechaiya knew the cook from the Orphanage. Kechaiya obviously wanted the attention of said cook. The dear doctor believed that Noven would not be interested in her. She couldn't be sure if she'd misheard or if they were somehow talking about the wrong person so she decided to check with a tentative line of questions.

"Did you just say Noven? As in the cook who works in the Orphanage under Jillene?" she asked gently, kicking herself mentally as her mind slipped into the gutter. This was not the time and that was certainly not an image that she wanted in her head. The dancer gave an awkward little cough as if she'd voiced her thoughts aloud instead of only within her head. A mental shake to get her back on track before she continued, choosing her words carefully so as not to spark jealousy within the other. "I know him. Not well but he did me a good turn a few days ago. I don't know what his... preferences are but he showed no interest in me so I doubt that I'm his type. You could be his if that's what you're wondering..."

The blonde glanced towards the bar as she tried to think about her next words and made the mistake of catching Merv's eye. The man was giving her the wink as if to say that she was up. She shook her head, placing her hand on her right side while gesturing towards Kechaiya and mouthing the word "doctor". Before her employer could give her any more hints that she should get back to work she returned her attention to the doctor in question, leaning close to her to speak to her in an undertone. "If he isn't interested then he can be made to be. I could look like the back end of a donkey and still be able to tempt a man, any woman can. If you were interested then so could you." The young woman hadn't said that she'd help the ebony eyed foreigner but then she hadn't said that she wouldn't either. Caela wasn't above being moved to pity and so if the doctor tried she'd be able to twist the dancer's arm.
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[Kechaiya]

Kech nodded in surprise as Caela looked to confirm that she was talking about Noven. Listening close, Kechaiya found her jealousy starting to rise once more. Even with her thick accent and drunken slurring, the suspicion in her voice was laid on heavily, "What mean 'did me a good turn?'"

Then the rest of the woman's words sunk in. Completely ignoring her previous question, "Noven no look to you like men here? What mean 'be his'? I no be slave. Not again." Her eyes went cold for a moment, remembering the days her entire family was captured, remembering the looks in her parents' eyes as she escaped, leaving them forever doomed to the life of forced servitude. She shook that off though, it was her least favorite thing to dwell on.

When Caela moved in close, talking more softly now, Kech listened, assuming she was hearing an incredibly important secret. With each passing phrase from the dancer, her dark eyes grew ever wider. Was Caela really saying that Kechaiya could get Noven to look at her like these men looked at Caela? Kechaiya wanted to be skeptical, but her desire for it to be true outweighed it heavily. This caused her to blurt out, using a word she had just learned from Caela earlier, words spewing excitedly, "How?! How make Noven sexy look me? You teach me, please!"

Kechaiya was now looking at Caela much like the orphans looked at herself when they wanted a story from her. She had never been able to resist them, and hoped Caela would react in a similar manner. "If teach me, I give medicine, no mizas." Had Kechaiya not been so intoxicated, such an endeavor would have been far beneath her. But this desire for him seemed to only be emboldened by her drink. And clearly Caela knew what she was doing. She could have her pick of any man if she so wanted. Kechaiya didn't want to take her pick, she wanted just one.