(Nnerka) A Web of Influence

[Rickter]

A Web of Influence
Frost 1st, 120th Year, A.o.S.

Performers strutted their stuff across the stage with feathered corsets as they flourished their arms, the limelight dancer of the group wearing a set of red curated leather and fishnet leggings, while the rest of the entourage wore black-colored material just as scantily. They all walked and moved about in tandem to the drums of the band playing near the theater, as trumpets and other instruments blared sounds that complimented the performance into the room, generating a very lively and upbeat rhythm those gathered at the tables of the auditorium could feel.

Rickter had taken a seat at the bar situated at the very back of the room, with a hint of weariness residing at the corners of his eyes as he found his stool, before taking a seat at the very end near the exit to the auditorium. The room itself reeked of tobacco smoke and perfume, which was akin to the other 'aromas' one discovered in lingering here. The Cabaret was abuzz with business as always, and like usual courtesans were allowed interval breaks in-between clients. Rickter was one such courtesan that the Madame liked to reserve for a few clients, namely because of his half-Rathari heritage, but he also chalked it up to personal favor with her.

Still, a break was always to follow after entertaining such clients. Therefore he didn't wait to leave the East Wing to find a cold drink, and some nice tobacco to smoke while he relaxed. "Heh, survived another?" Tony the grey-eyed bartender greeted him when he sat down, the wolf grunted a yes to the man as he situated himself on the stool proper. Rickter leaned onto the bar with an arm beneath him, his side posed against it as he looked out to watch the crowd first, and then the women performing on stage for their audience. Tony at that time had already known what to get for the half-breed, scooping a small glass into a bucket of Frostrylyth shards, carefully crushed so that it served the purpose of ice within a drink. Pouring a bottle into the cup Tony filled it with whiskey, placing the bottle back down before passing the drink over to Rickter in turn.

"Here you are." Rickter took the beverage and with a nod of appreciation barely grinned, turning to sip the rich brown brew as he watched the rest of the dance. The wolf then proceeded to reach at a wooden box near the bar's edge, lifting its cover so that he could pull out a wrapped joint of tobacco. "Need a light?" Tony then offered as he struck a match over the tinderbox, holding it out for Rickter to take once the flame lingered at its tip. Rickter nodded and accepted the match, in turn, glancing at a couple of courtesans wearing nothing but velvet bustiers and fishnets. Both briefly stroked fingers down the rolled sleeves of his white velvet shirt, giving him smirks as they passed on to join a couple of lucky men at the tables. The wolf hinted a smidge of a grin at them too, before looking back down at the biceps of his arms.

Within the faint ambient glow of the auditorium, his cardinal runes would be somewhat visible beneath his shirt, their distinctive glows obscured by the fabric. With the match in hand and the joint between his lips, Rickter then lit the tip with a heavy puff at the point of his lips. Drawing in the smoke he briefly inhaled, and followed with an exhale as a cloud of smoke barreled from his lips. Admittedly he kinda would miss working here, now that he thought about it, as it was fun to let loose and just enjoy the madness here. Every vice imaginable existed here, gambling in the main lobby, performances here in the auditorium, and even the hookah lounges and massage rooms offered their own world of experiences. Yet the wolf was beginning to realize his place here, and how he really didn't belong with this sort of crowd in the end.

There was a natural order to things and here was no different, but for Rickter, the only order within Velvet Cabaret was the order Madame Zirnomei herself instilled. He didn't need that in his life anymore, not with where he was going, to say the least. Still, it helped him appreciate the sentiment of being here, being able to see that he had indeed started to grow, compared to the kind of man he was a season ago.

[Nnerka]

N N E R K A

1 Frost 120

Nnerka blinked, one eye leading an echo of the rest doing the same. She was tired. It had been....a day. The cold didn't help any of that, and venturing outside did less so. Her last client had thought to take their little adventure out into the snow, and had proven to only irritate her enough that she did consider actually biting him. She smiled with the intent and he hadn't noticed, because it had already been what he'd asked for. At least, a small measure of his request.

She could use a drink, though. Which was why her legs carried her over to the bar. Stepping over and around both colleagues and patrons alike. She might have opted for the wall, but the last time she'd done that, she'd been scolded. It wasn't her fault that the light fixture hadn't been able to hold her weight. How was she supposed to know that it wouldn't? Nnerka slid her fingers over the countertop of the bar, tapping one long digit as she settled in on one side to gain the bartender's attention.

"What'll it be?" Tony should know her drink by now; she'd been here for, what, two years? But she liked the option to try something else that he seemed ready to provide. Even if she would never actually make use of it. A beat, and then, "The usual?"

"The usual." A faint trill of delight followed as the bartender nodded, moving away to make her fruity concoction. She let her eyes wander while she waited. They alight on a face familiar even in the low light, though they hadn't talked much before. She strode closer, keeping what should be the appropriate amount of distance (meaning that it probably wasn't).

"Don't they call you Ricky?"

[Rickter]

It did not take long before Tony had another to serve at the bar, but of course, such was the case when so many courtesans worked within the cabaret. The wolf didn't outright bother to look at whoever it was, knowing full well that it had to be a fellow worker on the shift. By the sound of her voice though it was one he'd only slightly interacted with, usually through the grace periods every courtesan had before seeing another client. When he allowed his eyes to shift though he only craned his head slightly, with his expression simply receptive when he started to glance at the individual. By his accounts, he did know this person, as she was someone who joined the cabaret a couple of years back, and quickly garnered a reputation of her own in the short time she'd been here.

Madame Zirnomei hired her undoubtedly for the exotic factor, for the woman was akin to that of half-spider and half-prostitute. Even her human aspects seemed accentuated by her other half, for the black eyes that fell on him were nothing short of terrifying, if not in a beautifully alluring sense that evoked one's own curiosity. She looked to be Hytori descended where the features mattered most, and though largely too foreign even for his standards, Rickter admittedly felt an existing camaraderie between them. Though he certainly took a more human appearance in her case, he still possessed the traits that existentially made him a wolf. An animal. Even in some cases a beast.

"That they do," was the remark he made to the girl when she inquired, "and you..." His eyes narrowed on her briefly, the joint between his lips lightly puffed on as he thought on it more. He knew he'd heard the name somewhere before, especially given her fast fame in working at the cabaret. Simply put people like her were exotics because of what they offered, and because of the specific clientele that had a penchant for such unusual rarities within the world. For one such as her, being half a spider undoubtedly inspired much underlying fear, but often times within that fear a sense of intrigue would be born.

The wolf raised a hand to grip the smoking joint between a set of fingers, another plume of smoke exhaled past his shoulder before he looked at the beige-tanned woman next to him. "You're Nnerka if I remember correctly." Rickter finally concluded with a considerable bit of thought, his gaze plain but indirect when it came to looking her way. It wasn't that he felt timid in her presence, though honestly when did Rickter ever not project such a state of being, but rather the acquaintanceship between them still felt fresh on his part. Anybody the wolf barely knew or trust he never looked in the eye, but when he did it was often with a friend he knew to satisfy that criteria, which in itself was a bit of a rare thing until recently.

"How's life been treating you? Been settling into Kalzasi very well?" He thought to inquire since they were in the habit of creating chit-chat, after all, it never hurt to socialize with your fellow workers when on a break. As she provided her answer Rickter would listen while he drank his whiskey, sipping on it quietly as he paid her mind when she did so.

[Nnerka]

N N E R K A

She knew little about the man beside her. She knew just a little more when he confirmed that he was, in fact, called Ricky. A pleasant hum left her as she glanced back at Tony for her drink. A mixture that looked suspiciously like the hue of her hair and smelled like a garden with a dash of rum. Nnerka leaned forward onto the counter, just barely draped her full torso over it. He took his time remembering her, and that was alright, because he probably didn't know much about her either.

She was, though, curious about his eyes. The eyes that wouldn't look at her. Her own eyes watched him, some widened and some narrowed. Black orbs trained on him as he spoke. She was careful with her smile. She took what she saw for fear because much of what she saw in regards to her was fear. From a few deviants, lust - but that was beside the point. She mustn't slip into her usual conduct of business. She mustn't - but it was fun.

"She, I would be." Maybe she smiled a little wider, the peek of her mandibles pushing against the edges of her mouth. He was a small man, to her. Large enough that wrapping him up would be a challenge, but possible if she put her mind to it. She cocked her head to the side, took a sip of her drink. Another hum, the click of her nails against the counter. Superb mixing.

"I suppose I've settled well." A shrug, another sip. "About as well as I can with the cold. So much cold." She set her drink down with perhaps a little more force than she needed, a curl to her lip. "Who even likes snow?" All of her eyes narrowed at ones, brows furrowing. "It's cold and wet when it melts." The shift of her countenance was fast; from irritation to delight as she took another sip of her drink. She rested her chin in the palm of one hand, and cradled that elbow with another of her hands. "But the city is pretty and the food is good so I think I've settled well."

Her claws clicked on the counter again, hair swung over her shoulder. Nnerka studied him with each eye careful, a new angle. A new perspective. "Do I scare you, or do you usually look like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs?" She inhaled, shoulders lifted as if in a shrug. "I don't mind if you are. That's why I'm here, after all."

[Rickter]

Admittedly Rickter never did take time to approach people head-on, social favor never being the strongest suit he excelled in really. But anytime he'd be brought to interact with someone, the nuances were often the first few things he picked up in another individual. Such as Nnerka's tendency to hum when she experienced something delightful, or interesting, as she interacted with the world around her. Oddly enough, the wolf was one of those that did the same, although he was more of a grunter instead. In fact, he couldn't really resist giving her one now, at least in the manner of a light chortle he kept quelled in his core as he watched her. Taking another hit of the joint in his fingers then, the wolf had found he'd already smoked it halfway, a sure tell sign that his habit might not have been a healthy one.

But when you looked at where he worked, habits tended to be the least of his concern right now. Still, being the somewhat friendly wolf he was, he thought to offer the joint to Nnerka, once he'd finished his hit with another plume of smoke leaving out his nostrils. If she accepted it then he'd simply wait until she was done, accepting it if the lady returned it to him, otherwise enjoying the rich flavor of his whiskey. It was evident that the spider-like lady watched him, perhaps with curious intent, as he could actually feel her gaze fixed on him; even with his own indirect looks. Admittedly he would've been a little unnerved were it to happen over a season ago, which was probably why Tony looked at both of them in a bit of surprise.

With the confirmation of her name Rickter then placed his drink down, sparing Tony a glance with another nod to the box of joints. By now, his brain started to feel littered with clouds, and his spirits elevated by the high that came on from the first half he'd smoked earlier. If Nnerka had been gracious enough to return that first one, then Rickter would've taken the new one along with the unstruck match, and offered that to her instead of lighting himself a new one. However, had she not returned the first joint, then he would undoubtedly light the second, striking the match across the bar's surface to ignite the Pyrolith-coated tip. Listening to her on the matter of settling in, Rickter inhaled another thick puff of smoke, exhaling it in turn as he looked about the woman with receptive eyes, his brow raised slightly with curiosity when he released the next held breath.

"Cold doesn't suit you eh?" He mused with a light chuckle in turn, actually letting a hint of a smile crack at his features. "It's not for everyone here." Not that he minded it much, then again the cold hardly bothered him as it did others, likely due to the beast blood which flowed through his veins. From what he could tell Nnerka was a bit of a diva, not that there weren't a few of those in the cabaret already, but in a sense that both amused and intrigued her audience. She didn't mistreat anybody so far as he knew, and the interactions between them seemed rather genuine, therefore he reasoned her being someone favorable to a degree.

"Kalzasi's always got something to offer, whether you're just passing through or settling down." He reasoned as he could agree with her opinion on the place, still rather amused at her disdain for snow and the cold from earlier. Raising his glass once more to drink from it, Nnerka seemed to notice one of his own nuances, taking the matter into her hands by personally addressing it with him. Rickter's eyebrows rose as high as they could then, the glass of the drink lowered back onto the counter as he caught Tony biting a curled finger at her.

"Oo, you've got balls hun!" The bartender weighed in with his eyes sharp on the two, his head nodding to towards Rickter when he continued. "Ain't nobody brave enough to speak to him in that manner!"

"S'alright, she meant no ill intent." The wolf muttered to the bartender half-amused, admittedly conceding to himself the manner in which she spoke of. A dog with a tail between his legs huh? Did she even know what he was? She barely knew who after all, but then again it didn't take her entirely too long, to figure out the name that belonged with his fuzzy mug. "Fear scares me Nnerka, in all kinds of forms. Fortunately for you, unusually large spiders aren't on that list." He mused at first but his tone started to grow heavier, almost in a manner that implied levity with his words.

With another hit from his joint, he quickly inhaled, his eyes sharply on Nneka but still avoiding her gaze. "Why?" He inquired with a short exhale, his brows slightly furrowed as Tony then puckered a bit of an astonished look. "Does it trouble you when a predator can't look you in the eyes?"

[Nnerka]

N N E R K A

Nnerka was not one to shy away from anything offered. Not typically. But where things involved fire and snow, she had to draw some sort of line. As Rickter offered her the joint, she lifted a hand in rejection, smile still there. Fire and she were not good friends. Acquaintances, at best. She rubbed a one leg against the other, the sound produced akin to scratching. Too much hair to let something with the potential to be lit aflame near her.

"Oh, it does." She could agree that Kalsazi offered much. It had offered her a home when she had lost it, and work when she'd needed it. Just that pesky, cold snow. She took another sip to chase the bitterness of displeasure from her mouth. It would be gone soon and she'd have to ask Tony to mix her another.

But then Tony spoke. Her brows furrowed. "I don't know what you mean by balls, but I do have silk sacs if that's what you're..." She paused, not sure of the word. She cocked her head to the side, shrugged before continuing. "I don't have balls." That would work well enough. "And I really didn't mean to insult you, Ricky."

Rickter didn't appear to be upset. What would she know; she was good at reading fear and disgust and simmering hatred and maybe lust, but she couldn't be bothered to read anything else beyond that. She wouldn't really need to. That wasn't entirely crucial to her survival at this point. But - there was something in his voice. She wasn't sure if it was meant to sound upset or if it were meant to be something else. It just - deepened. Her brows rose and she took a long sip of her drink, intrigued.

Only to be confused again. How does fear scare someone? Wasn't fear what happened when someone was afraid? People, the kind that called themselves civilized, were odd. Spoke strangely. She had half a mind to tell him to speak plainly. All four of her arms crossed themselves, one shoulder popped up as she regarded the other from two of her eyes.

Predator. That was the word. The smile that had been small enough to hide her mandibles expanded until slitted skin pulled back fully and teeth were exposed. "Predator? I should hope a fellow...comrade - is that the word? - wouldn't be afraid of me. To be able to look me in the eye means we stand on equal ground." She giggled, tilted her head to the side. "I should correct myself.: 'look me in the eyes." She gestured with her left hands, sweeping out over the crowd in the auditorium. "We exist in a food chain, Ricky. The only thing I should be upset by is if I find myself far below you on it." Another delighted trill left her, legs carrying her closer still to Rickter. "So where do you stand, hm? Tony's given me the impression you're quite high up. Is that so? Do you have a preference to your prey?"

[Rickter]

It was clear that the lady wasn't much of a smoker, at least, that's what Rickter could tell when she rebuffed his offer for the joint. No matter. He simply stuck with the one in that instance, taking softer hits from it as he observed her further. So many legs on this one, he had to admit, and she was definitely an unnerving sort of beauty. Probably because the wolf's personal tastes never ranged beyond the spectrum of the ordinary, hell, he hardly fancied anybody in general when it came to personal desires or affection. Still, to hear that she was getting along well in Kalzasi was assuring, it told him that she'd planned to at least stay a while, something worth remembering when he considered a state of fact still on his mind.

It was when Tony spoke, confusing her with his compliment from the looks of it, that Rickter grasped at the spectrum of rhetoric this woman possessed. Far as he could tell she was a serious sort, enough to try and correct the poor bartender before defaulting to a statement. She then went on to apologize to him, a fact that perplexed Rickter entirely, as he didn't outright show any real offense. At least he didn't think he did, perhaps though, his slight shift in attitude did project such mannerism. It was something that led him to avert his gaze once more, before watching her with another heavy drag of his joint. "No need for apologies, if I'd really been offended, then you'd know it." He plainly assured the spider-woman with a generic smile, one often worn in the company of his clients really. It was while he spoke, as well as the sigh afterward, that the smoke in his lungs trailed out his lips and nostrils.

"Here you go, love." Tony weighed in as he'd already made a new drink for Nnerka, noticing the half-emptied glass of whiskey still sipped on as well. "How about you, big guy?" The wolf lightly shook his head, for now, knowing one glass was enough for this intermission. Nnerka had taken to him with another bout of puzzlement in her features, her eyes an arrangement mix of curiosity and confusion when she listened to him. It became apparent to Rickter then that, in general, metaphors and whatnot seemed lost on her almost entirely. And yet, the girl didn't falter once when asked a particular question. Interesting. The wolf's eyes slightly narrowed as he finally took the last hit of his joint, inhaling the flavorful taste of tobacco as he then smothered the burning cherry in a ceramic ashtray.

So she fancied herself a predator too huh? Her smile was as dangerous as one just now, enough to nearly induce a chill on the wolf's spine, as he exhaled the last of his joint through his nostrils. Feeling buzzed after the smoke and drink, he leaned onto the bar as well, his elbow pressed over the surface as the hand dangled over the edge. She called him a comrade, a word Rickter normally held in high regard, almost too high for someone he'd barely known. So that was her philosophy then, rather straightforward in his opinion, hell Rickter knew some would even consider her primitive. But he knew better. Her outlook wasn't based on a lack of intermingling with society, but a simple structure of order in a world she once knew. Kalzasi had to be an entirely different world for her then, one built heavily on its own cultural structure as well. No wonder she was considered an 'exotic' in this place, because she truly did come from another walk of life.

"Honestly, I've never cared." He admitted with a shrug to her inquiry, giving her a straightforward answer as he reached for his drink. "Tony's the more 'in-touch' with your food chain around here, aside from the Madame herself, so you're likely to get a better answer from him." He reasoned as he lifted his glass to his lips, giving the brown substance a gentle whirl as the Frostrylyth shards clinked against the glass.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far!" Tony almost cooed with a light laugh, leaning onto the bar as he looked between the pair with interest. "Rickter's been here for a long time though! Going on seven years now I think?"

"Eight come the Glade." He elaborated for the bartender with a sip of the whiskey.

"The Madame recruited you herself, didn't she?" To that the wolf shrugged, his expression still plainly firm as he looked from the glass to the bartender and spider near him.

"She kinda roped me into it I guess. The pay's good, and it's not like I'll be leaving soon anyways." He admitted with his mind on the trials ahead, and how close he was getting to joining the Argent Hand as well. "So it's not like my spot on this 'food chain' of yours is permanent." Although... it did put to thought an idea in his head, one that could help in the long run, if he felt Nnerka could be entrusted with such a request. It was something he put to rest for now, thinking that maybe later he'd bring it up, since the lady could indeed play a useful part in his network of friends. Even so, the wolf looked at her with wonder in his gaze, the expression still stoic as he sipped what remained of his whiskey.

[Nnerka]

N N E R K A

12 Frost 120

Nnerka nodded as Tony gave her another drink, another hum of delight accompanying it. While Rickter might think her living in a fantasy bubble of predatory inclinations, she wouldn't hesitate to offer the escapades of only a few years prior. Of her great conquests of protecting her clan lands. She flipped her hair over her shoulder again, upper set of hands twining through it while one hand of the lower set twirled the ends.

"Eight years?" A long time, a very long time, to have been roped into something. Nnerka wondered if she would still be here in eight years. It had only been around two since her arrival, since she'd been acquired by the Madame. It wasn't like the cabaret was a bad place to be; she merely wondered how one couldn't care about their place in the food chain and be here for so long.

The food chain was everything. You got favors, you got luxury - but you had to be high up. The dredges of the chain had to scrape and struggle. Which, again, she had no qualms with. That was the way of the world. That was what she once had to do. Before her reputation had brought her to what she guessed was somewhere in the middle of the food chain within the cabaret. Not at the bottom, but certainly not at the top. She blinked, passed her drink up from the lower hand to an upper and took a sip.

"You were also recruited?" She cocked her head to the side, eyed him over the lip of her glass. "What had she seen in you? I would offer to answer the question myself, but I think it might be obvious in my case." Another musical giggle and sip of her drink.

It had been an interesting thing to consider. Before, of course, she'd known that there were those who fancied her for her "monstrosity". Monstrosity being a loose term. Because she was no more a monster than the man before her. Just...shaped differently. More legs, more eyes.

"That's understandable. You'd only want it to be permanent if you were...high up. But you say you're not." She tapped a finger against her chin. He was looking at her funny, sort of. Like how a client might upon first seeing her. Which shouldn't be the case because he'd been looking at her for some time already and there hadn't been that look. "See something fascinating, Ricky?"

[Rickter]

Eight years indeed. A very long time to be settled in a business such as this, but Rickter had rather appreciated the simplicity of it all, never bothering to extrapolate to the complicated side of things in life. Attachments? Unnecessary for the longest time, that is, until he grew to appreciate the sentiments born between others. Friendship was an odd if not fickle thing, but for Rickter, it was by far the only driving force in his life. Some might think that a little sad honestly, but given the history of his eight years here, that stark simplicity is what kept him going up til now. On the other hand, having people he did grow affectionate towards, had helped him realize just how necessary it was in life.

It certainly paled in comparison to the elaborate food chain that this Nnerka character favored, but it sounded as though she was surprised by the fact he was recruited. "Beats me." He quickly shrugged with a look into his emptied glass of whiskey, Tony being quick to weigh in his own two coppers with the conversation.

"I heard she house trained you for the role, personally, though that's what the word around the cabaret was." The wolf lightly scoffed at that implication, his eyebrows raised as it didn't surprise him at all others would talk. That's what they were good at after all, and that there, was why he maintained any sense of simplicity when working here.

"She didn't, she taught me the same she does everyone else here. I just happened to pick up on it rather quickly..." He figured with a brief shrug before placing the glass down, taking out another rolled joint to light it in the same manner as he did before. "No, I came to her for another reason really." He admitted with a sigh that released another plume of smoke, glancing around Nnerka once more when he started again. "I didn't plan to stick around until she offered me the job. Said I'd probably like it well enough and she'd certainly pay me well, so I rolled with it at the time and just never kind of left."

He quickly averted his gaze back to the stage when she noticed him appraising her, his expression still stoic as he took another drag from the joint. "Just curious as to what sort of clientele you bring, Zirnomei has an odd way of appealing to her patrons in this business." He reasoned with a look that was admittedly amused for someone so serious.

[Nnerka]

Another reason? Her brows rose as she leaned in, eyes widening slightly “What other reason did you come to the Madame for?” What other reason was there? Perhaps Nnerka had not been around civilization long enough to understand the odd ways in which they worked, but there were only a few things you could do at the cabaret. At least, a few that she knew of and, obviously, there might have been something missing. She gave Rickter a sweeping glance, a once over before her eyes narrowed.

He was built well enough that he could have a bouncer or one of the fellows that walked around to make sure the courtesans were safe. His fingers...she hadn’t focused on them, but maybe he was a musician first, bedwarmer second. Maybe he cooked. One could make use of those muscles hauling slabs of meat around. Hm, meat. Her stomach liked the thought of a meal, though the slosh of liquor was steadily filling it. She pushed her glass toward Tony with a glance his way.

Yes, this line of work paid well. Better, if you were among the top tier. She rested her chin in the palm of her hand again, sighing. She could do better, if she tried. She should try. That was that. The spider blinked as he stated his wonderings, and a grin slid over her lips. Not wide enough for the peek of mandibles, but wide enough that the slits on either side of her lips made her seem menacing.

“They’re interesting.” Her shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I didn’t know some people like feeling like prey until I came here, but I think it has something to do with stuffy it is. Or boring? They talk, sometimes, tell me things about themselves I don’t ask because they have to keep their mouths moving to keep from screaming. One lady came to me because she said she had a fear of spiders and it was suggested to be around one.”

That had been… fun. The woman in question had taken one look at her and wailed. Positively babbled like a baby trying out their first words while hot tears streamed down her cheek. Her chaperone had to hold her steady while Nnerka simply stared. A vast difference from the man that had gone red in the face at the sight of her, keeling off and letting out pained noises. She hadn’t been sure what that was about, but she certainly didn’t ask when he returned the following evening to repeat the performance.

“Sometimes it feels like I get a new client for a new reason every day.”