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Re: Welcome [Fawn]
Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2021 6:24 pm
by Fawn
Oh, You Sweet Summer Child.16 Frost 120, AOS
As the Madame spoke she kept her back straight despite the ache in her muscles from the long days journey. Truthfully, it had taken from her more than she'd expected. Five days on horseback, nearly six hours each day with a few rest stops, and most of it through hills and snow. The furthest she'd ever gone, and likely would ever go. It wasn't like a carriage didn't pass through town towards Kalzasi every week, but the price for a nearly weeks long journey was more than she could have afforded, even if it might have kept her out of the storm from the third day. But now in the comfort of a lavish Cabaret, her lungs were thankful for the warmth it had been offering. It relaxed her muscles from their tense, shivering states, and as she sat in the chair listening to the Madame she was suddenly appreciative for the extra time.
Fawn waited until the woman had finished speaking completely. She reminded her of her mother in many ways- a good barn is run by people who care for each animal as strongly as they care for themselves, by only producing and selling the best livestock, and doing so with scrutiny. And the Madame cared for this Cabaret as strongly as her mother cared for her farm.
After a few seconds of thought Fawn smiled and shook her head lightly. "I don't appreciate the spotlight, Madame. As it stands, I have never stood under one." She said, standing from the chair with no rush to her movements. No hurry to her audition.
"But the spotlight isn't what makes a performance. The spotlight won't feel your sadness, your glee. It won't listen to your story- but people will. So, I perform for the people." She circled the chair slowly, her finger tracing the grains of wood as she let the perfection of polished wood glide under her skin. She took in the smells of the room with a deep breath and held it. She recalled the woman dancing on stage, the contortionist, the sultry men and women and everyone in-between moving with charm and grace and excitement.
And then she sang. It was a traditional folk song, one of a man finding his love by a fireside, one likely only those born fifty or so years ago may remember, but it was also new. She took the beat of the song she'd heard when first entering the cabaret and entwined her words with it. Her voice was fluid and sweet as honey and clear as a bell echoing in a temple, spinning her song in the lavish room as if it were a stage. It was romantic, it was flirty, it was like a fire that sparks and bursts to life and then settles, only to roar up again in it's magnificence and shine it's light throughout a darkened room. She moved her feet in a similar pattern to that of her peoples folk dances. Circular, rhythmic, upbeat, light on her toes and twirling and added a sway to her hips in the same way she'd seen on stage only moments ago. Sexy, though perhaps not the word she would first think to use. Alluring, enticing.
And as the last note left her lips, vibrato trailing off softly, she came to a slow stop and let her fingers come to rest softly on the chair in front of her. Just as they had done at the start of her song.
Re: Welcome [Fawn]
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 3:05 pm
by Chronicle
Madame Lunaria began to look at Fawn with a hint of peculiarity when the girl spoke, decidedly a bit amused if not intrigued with her rhetoric over the stage. Farm girls. They could be so literal sometimes, it was a good thing this one looked rather pretty to the head mistress. The Madame started to lightly read through the parchments beneath her hands then, often paying Fawn mind when the girl had gotten up onto her feet. Not long after she did the girl broke into a song, one that carried out as a local shanty tune, but, played along well with the background music of the dynamic stage within their auditorium. The good Madame couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, singing and dancing was it now? Though a small and feckless youth she might've been, it had seemed that there was indeed something about Fawn.
Something that Lunaria quite enjoyed as her eyes were less on the papers, and more on the movements Fawn made as she sang her tune aloud. Before too long she had reached the end of her song, a comparable fade out compared to the soft crescendo she began with at the start. A rather consistent performance in Lunaria's book, performed by quite the fetching young lady... How many men would pay to see her perform? How much would she bring to the fold if the Madame hired her on? The look on her face was that of severe contemplation, although, the growing glint in her eyes could've indicated the sense of favoritism growing for young Fawn. "Well then, that it is it?"
There was nothing blatantly put off about Lunaria, just that her tone remained business-like, no matter how cordial she became to a new potential asset. "Quite the song you've performed there, but I'll be honest love not everyone comes here for the performance." To that the busty mistress raised a stern eyebrow, expecting her words to sink in rather heavily when she spoke them. "If it's your wish to be a songstress, well, then who am I to say no? However..." And this was where her shrewd eyes narrowed on Fawn explicitly.
"Here within the Cabaret, you know by now what it is I offer here. Every man and woman out there has a vice, and I'm always willing to offer them for a price. Who's to say they won't look at you and want the same? No... Performing here, my dear, may garner the wrong sort of attention you seek. That being said, however, if it is my stage you wish to perform on... then you should, by all means, consider what your willing to learn here." At that note the Madame shifted to open another drawer, pulling out another form entirely separate from the stack of papers she'd looked at before, taking her quill from the inkwell she started to write on the form briskly. Her lips moved to mouth the name "Fawn" as though she sounded it out to herself quietly, while her fingers moved to gracefully stroke along the form she'd started to write on. It was then she moved the hand with the quill away from the form, keeping it ready so that she could continue to fill things out as she went along.
"I want total honesty from you, understand? Now, starting with your stage performances... My audience is obviously a catered sort, are you inclined to at least show a bit of skin for them when you're on stage? Perform bits that would entice our customers to stay and enjoy themselves?" Lunaria would then await her response with her eyes patiently on Fawn, before jotting down the notes she could discern from what the girl might've told her. "Now, as far as our patrons go. Clearly you're..." Madame then paused and brushed the feather of her quill beneath her chin, mindfully aware of Fawn before she continued to speak on the matter. "Unspoilt. In this business that might not last for very long! Which is why I need to know what your comfortable with here. Courting our patrons would normally be an expectation, however, since Aurin seemed inclined to speak out on your behalf; I'm willing to work out a little arrangement here."
Her eyes then moved to the door, in the event he had finished his earlier task and awaited to rejoin them. "Aurin, why don't you join us!"
Re: Welcome [Fawn]
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 6:01 pm
by Fawn
Oh, You Sweet Summer Child.16 Frost 120, AOS
"Yup!" She was confident. She knew she'd done well, the only question was if the style suited the Cabaret, and if it didn't, would she give her the chance to learn?
Her answer came in the form of a loaded statement. She listened intently while her heart fluttered- she'd done it. She got the job! If she could work something out with the Madame, maybe get pointers from the other performers, she would do well. If the girl had a tail it would be wagging.
She looked over at the cat that had continued to give her an emotionless stare throughout her performance and winked at it before turning her attention back to the woman who'd just solidified the start of her new life.
"I understand. And you'll get nothing but honesty from me, Madame." She said. "I can be nude if you need me to be Madam, clothes are nothing but expression and Frost protection, after all." Or in her case, sun protection. Really, she'd gotten in trouble many times as a kid for running out into the street bare-skinned as the day she was born. Her mother chastised her, but in Fawn's mind it just didn't make sense. Nudity was as natural as it gets, as it were.
Her next question made Fawn flush, though. She wasn't shy about the fact, but the Madam had somehow picked up on it without the girl having mentioned it at all. It wasn't as though she had saved herself for any particular reason but when one lives in a town of mostly related family, and the only love you'd ever known happened to be asexual and from a distant city, it doesn't leave much room for unspoiling oneself.
The girl cleared her throat, making sure she still had a solid voice behind her despite her first worry of the night. "Well, I wouldn't want my inexperience to shame your establishment." She pondered for a moment, eyes dropping to the stack of papers between the two women. It wasn't like you could just learn how to court, right? Was it easy? Was it something only certain types could do? There was so much about this world that she didn't know, and even more that she didn't know she didn't know. The girl bit her lip, struggling to come up with something mutually beneficial.
Her gaze suddenly snapped back up, eyes wide and grin stretching from ear to ear. "Ah! How about this, I can perform to your liking, and also provide company to waiting patrons? I'm sure this place gets busy on cold nights, and even more so in the summer, there must be more patrons than courtesans on those nights- I could sit with those waiting for their turn, keep them from becoming too impatient with conversation- keep them happy and spending coin. What do you say?" She wasn't sure if she could learn how to court and decided it best not to promise the woman that she could, but part of her wanted to try. Perhaps it was something to try out when she'd learned a bit more about how to spoil oneself in a way that befitted a Cabaret.
Re: Welcome [Fawn]
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 7:46 pm
by Aurin
The door opened quietly a few moments after Madame Lunaria called out to him. He was one of her longer-standing employees and she trusted him with quite a bit seeing how often she stayed holed up in her office while he and her other lieutenants kept things running. But he figured that was the benefit of owning a thing: once one had trusted people to see to the details, one could sit back and just let the money roll in.
There wasn't anyone else out in the hall at the moment, but he gently closed the door behind him all the same. He was raised by sneaky people and so he assumed someone was always sneaking. It was paranoid except when he was right. As the fire crotch was still negotiating, he kept quiet until he felt the familiar batting at his ankle. Without question, he crouched down to scoop up Pascal, Lunaria's silent partner who had definitely overruled her when it came to hiring him five years ago. The cat batted at his chest, then climbed out of his arms to settle on a broad shoulder, twisting into his neck to stare at Fawn from a new angle—behind and above. Cats were predators; perhaps Pascal had recognized a kindred spirit in him.
But otherwise, he just leaned up against the wall by the door, arms crossed and waiting. He didn't really want to give himself more work to do and Madame Lunaria had things well in hand. She knew how to hire. After all, she had hired him, albeit with help from Pascal. Who was now grooming him with sandpapery licks to his neck.
"Gods, you're worse than Lunaria," he muttered to the cat, who didn't seem to care about his consent one way or another. Cats.
Re: Welcome [Fawn]
Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2021 11:53 pm
by Chronicle
As she was given the responses to her questions, Madame Lunaria continued to jot down the notes she found necessary, paying a mindful eye to the girl over the bit with nudity and her expression of clothes in general. Then she smiled while continually writing, rather amused with the fact this girl was so open. Oh how that would carry her far one day, that is, if somebody didn't take advantage of it the way the Madame herself planned to. "I would have to agree, they certainly make the man... or in our case, the woman." As she expressed this Lunaria gestured to her own figure, putting out her chest with a touch of grace for good humor as well. With that said though, she continued to finish with filling out the form she'd worked on, the quill halting suddenly when Fawn remarked on her own inexperience.
Certainly not, but what good was the headmistress, if she weren't prepared to expose her new hires to their inexperienced. The way Fawn spoke she seemed to understand the concept of being naked, as well as perhaps sex, but even as perceptive as Lunaria was it still remained difficult to tell just how much. Her naivety, for one, certainly painted a different illusion. One that led the Hytori-bred woman lowering her chin as she leaned forward, looking Fawn up and down appraisingly once more before she raised her chin with a grin. "Your enthusiasm is infectious darling, but I think you need a bit more of a push than that." The voiced opinion was shared with a hint of amusement in her tone, before the mistress wrote off at the bottom of the page and rested the quill back within its inkwell.
"Here within the cabaret there are expectations, ask your friend Aurin here later and he can elaborate. There is a fine methodical system for running this establishment successfully, therefore, any reservations as to what I put you up to best be out the door when you leave." As Lunaria expressed this hard fact she leaned into her chair, her fingers then tented as her shrewd eyes sharply gazed at the farm girl. "In short, if you're not able to generate a benefitting profit, then I'll personally see to it that changes." With that out of the way and a look to Pascal as he hopped off the desk, Lunaria watched as the cat moved his way up to Aurin, even so much as lightly grinning as she admired the interactions with her companion. "Oh? Careful dear boy, you can only imagine how much I'm willing to test that!"
On that note the Madame laughed aloud, lightly but somewhat heartily, before her eyes narrowed on Aurin once more. "Besides, you love the attention. Speaking of which..." Lunaria then looked down to her stack of papers from earlier, her lips upturned into a smirk as she grabbed it to hold it over her desk for him to take. "Read this and see if you can pick out the Rathari workers we have available. That and," She paused tactfully with a devious grin cast to both him and Fawn each, "make the rounds to show your cousin here the rundown of this place. Handle those two for me, and I might actually have something... new for you." On that note the good Madame smiled a bit more widely, the curves of her rounded cheeks accentuated by the glow of the lantern on her desk.
"That will be all you two, though Fawn," Lunaria started once more as the woman lowered her eyes onto the parchment she'd wrote on earlier, "when you've learned and feel comfortable with starting, come and see me again for consultation later. You and I have a bit to discuss." The Madame expressed nonchalantly, almost with an eloquent tone in her voice. It was then she simply resumed her office duties from before, allowing the pair to show themselves out now that their meeting had been concluded.
| ! | Message from: Chronicle |
And this is where I'll take my leave of moderating, feel free to continue the thread as you see fit, or if you wish to continue into a segway thread from here that is fine as well. Just be sure to report back to me on that, and we'll get a couple things rolling for the both of you.  |
Re: Welcome [Fawn]
Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:11 pm
by Fawn
Fawn wrote: ↑Thu Jan 21, 2021 6:01 pm
Oh, You Sweet Summer Child.16 Frost 120, AOS
But profits mattered. And it was her goal in mind to make as much as she could while she studied up on the aspects of the grand estate. She nearly bounded in her chair as Lunaria explained the rest of her duties and concerns, and turned to face Aurin briefly when he entered. She grinned boldly at him and waved her small freckled hand at him. 'Told you~' She mouthed, then turned back to her employer.
"I understand, Madame. I won't let you down." And that was a promise.
It was then that the girl stood, bowed, and turned to walk out of the room before stopping just at the door and looking down at the cat. She smirked, gave it a short wink, and then trotted herself a few steps down the hallway before swiveling back at Aurin with a playful glint in her eyes.
"Looks like I'll be joining you~ Though," She paused, looking down at her state of dress and making a soft 'tsk' sound with her teeth. "Madame said I'd need to show skin.. where do you even get clothes for that? I don't have any talent for sewing."
While she listened for his response she continued onwards down the hallway and towards the loud music, passing by the changing room once more and biting her lip with excitement as she realized that she too would be using that very room in a short while. When she finally pulled the door to the main room open her heart had a different pace. Her eyes took in the room instead of wonder now in study. How were they dancing? Where? Did they focus on one side of the room more? Who wore what, and for those that lingering with future clients how did they sit? There was so much to learn and in such a short time, but Fawn found it exhilarating.
"So, what's the best booze this city has to offer?" She asked, turning to Aurin with a wild look in her eyes that rivaled any stallion, and with all the gusto of a farmgirl who had no idea how much booze could truly cost in such a nice establishment.
Re: Welcome [Fawn]
Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 1:14 pm
by Aurin
Pushing off the wall and balancing the lecherous cat on his shoulders, he reached out to accept the paper the boss lady offered. He shoved it down his pants; not into his pocket, but down his pants. He winked at her and shimmied a little to maneuver the cat into his hands. He gave Pascal a nuzzling kiss on the top of the head. Pascal butted into Aurin's face because Aurin was bae, then angerbooped him on the nose a few times because cats are assholes. The smirk-faced man set Pascal back down on some important papers and gave that white fur a pet from head to tail before he turned to follow Fawn out.
"Mmm, you know how I like it when you make it sound so... bad..." He smirked over his shoulder, doing his best bad courtesan impression. He liked caricaturing them to their faces to keep them humble. "She wants me to father her children, you know," he said loudly to Fawn before the door shut behind them.
"Congratulations, Ruby the Newbie." Dusting white fur off his shoulder, he walked with her back toward the main hall. Obviously, she wouldn't be starting tonight, but he could at least get her situated, introduce her to a bartender, and let her observe the Cabaret in full swing. Giving her clothes a critical once-over, his lips pursed a bit in thought. "If you don't want to go shopping until you've earned some coin, you could play up the fresh off the boat naïveté and let your audience delight themselves with thoughts of corrupting you. I'd suggest selecting songs that make you sound innocent but corruptible too.
"Otherwise, we do have a decent collection of costumes in storage. We even share back and forth with the Peacock next door, so I can introduce you to the gatekeeper there. Several of the boys and girls make their own costumes or have connections with designers in the city. They tend to give generous discounts to fellow performers if it's their own work and if it's work they commission, well, I guess see who's wearing stuff you like and then ask them where they got it. Your aesthetic is largely up to you to develop, though ask anyone for their thoughts as you develop it. We all have plenty of opinions, so be prepared. But don't worry. Most of them are judgmental cunts, but they won't waste their breath dragging you if they don't think it'll help you be better.
"And obviously, the best booze the city has to offer is ours. That's the line; feel free to make it your own." In the main hall, he quickly introduced her to the bartender who looked least busy so she could have a drink or two of welcome. He was going to have to go back to his rounds soon, but he idled by the bar with her for a skotch.
"Any other questions burning hotter than that rash Lunaria gave you?"
Re: Welcome [Fawn]
Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 2:26 pm
by Fawn
Oh, You Sweet Summer Child.16 Frost 120, AOS
"Well, I suppose not. Everything seems to be in order and all I'll need to do is get the proper wardrobe to start. 'Fresh off the boat' I may be, but my clothes are not fresh enough for something like this. I'm sure I can find something in the city, after all, it is the city of opportunity!"
The girl took another swig of her mead and watched the room. In the short while she'd been visiting Lunaria the room had settled into a simple rhythm. As easy as breathing, as sure as blood coursing through your veins, the courtesans moved about the room flirting with the patrons while some dancers caught the attention of the quieter, less sociable crowd. The patrons eyes would watch carefully, hungrily, as one would dance and sing upon the stage, but they made little move more than a raise or wave of their hand. Likely it was a signal of some kind, and given the rest of the clues lying about she guessed it was some form of claiming. 'Come to me after', or 'I will buy your time', she thought.
Fawn guzzled the rest of her mead down and slid the bottle across the bar towards the trash with a flick of her wrist, it glided across the smooth surface and crashed into the trash on the other side. She gave herself a congradulatory smirk and turned back to the man who'd helped her.
"Thank you for your time, Aurin. I look forward to seeing you. I think I'll spend a few days getting my things in order and come back on the 21st for my first night. I'll bid you goodnight, and good luck for tonight." With that the petite girl hopped off the barstool that had barely let her feet touch the ground and bowed briefly to the man, then turned heel and began the walk back to her new home. The streets now held a different crowd. A darker, roudier, drunker crowd than had been out before. But that also meant meat vendors lined the bars selling drunken fools overly priced meat on sticks. She rolled her eyes with a smile and a scoff. Whatever made them money, she supposed. The night air was cold, heavy, humid, but not nearly as humid as her families farm. She couldn't wait to write home, to tell them all that had happened on just the first day, and with that in mind quickened her step.
As she finally came upon the small shack behind the dumpling shop and fitted herself quickly inside the warmer home, a figure watched. Shrouded in a black and navy cloak, holding a pipe to his lips, the snake like man smiled. With a puff of air out into the night sky he swiveled back towards the inner city and began his own journey back home. She was perfect. Weak. New. Innocent. And she would be his.
~ fin ~
Re: Welcome [Fawn]
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2021 9:58 pm
by Mirage
Fawn
Lores
Music: Old Songs, New Style
Music: Mixing Song With Dance
Persuasion: Meeting Halfway
Persuasion: Using Connections
Dancing: Show Some Skin
Dancing: Footwork in a Small Space
Dancing: Sensual Hip Movements
Dancing: Watch & Learn
Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Points 8
[size=150Aurin[/size]
Lores
Animal Handling
Charming Housecats
Appeasing Pascal
Business
Velvet Cabaret Chain of Command
Velvet Cabaret New Employee Orientation
Deception
All Gingers Are Related
Schmoozing the Crowd
Seduction
Flirting With One's Employer
The Quickest Way to Lunaria's Heart
Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Points 8