[Amoren - Vivian: Acquisition of a Turquoise Room & Skulking in the Yellow Zone]

[Gloomcrest]

6th of Ash, 4623

Whether or not his male companion’s approach with a sultry tune and the way that he would tease the thief to no end was rather embarrassing, to say the least, yet inside of his very being, a light hum of joy would spread. As Vivian explains a little bit more about the plan and allows him to set the scene, all that was left was for the Draedan of Saren to pick up the subtle cues and make his move.

“You aren’t wrong… I don’t usually hire whores; pleasure… is a bit complicated…”

The amber-eyed thief couldn’t help but cough briefly, clearing his throat before the scene was set as his criminal partner began the flirtatious act, blinking with his long lashes that seemed to glimmer in the light of the Green Lady’s reception hall. His amber-eyed gaze shifts over to the front desk where Mina, whom Vivian called, happened to be; her attitude seemed more jaded than most, but from what Jared could gather, there was tension between the two. From the thief’s guess, it would be some rivalry if there was one.

As information was being dropped by Vivian, who was more familiar with the premise of what would be considered a wealthy whorehouse than an average one, Jared couldn’t help but make a mental note of needing Vivian’s services about the proper etiquette of sorts when conducting one’s self when approaching women and men of the night.

Nevertheless, the lavish-looking scoundrel took the hint given by his male friend to make his approach to the receptionist, questioning if his companion was bothering him since Vivian wasn’t part of the Green Lady’s exclusive possessions.

“I am fine; I was wondering if I could hire a room for the night?”

Jared was trying to pick his words carefully, attempting not to annoy or possibly piss off Myne, who was Jared and Vivian’s first obstacle. Taking a moment to reach into his pocket, lifting a small pouch of coins, the Draedan smiled at the receptionist as he gently placed the pouch down, not bothering to count much of the fares needed to rent a room as there was a generous amount to offer Myne as well if she was careful enough to pocket some of the funds without the Mistress of the Green Lady catching wind; a bit of hush money possibly if that was the correct term in Jared’s opinion.

Yet despite all of this, within the Alistian thief who was attempting to show confidence in his posture and act, in reality, Jared was somewhat perplexed at how people could stroll up to a whorehouse and acquire explicit services; all that was left was for Vivian to lead him the way or provide further assistance in guiding him on making the right choices that would minimise their level of suspicion.

[Vivian]

Oh gods. Acting really wasn’t this poor boy’s strong suit, was it? Normally when Vivian pawed and flirted with a client they had the presence of mind to flirt back. He was their goods for the pawing, usually a man put a hand on his leg or an arm around his waist. Jared practically bolted out of his seat for the front desk. Vivian did his best to look amused, confident even, like he’d expected it out of such a green mark.

Mina eyed the bag of coins Jared dropped on the counter, and a glare flitted across her features. Vivian at once realized Jared’s mistake; he hadn’t haggled. He didn’t look like a noble, at least he wasn’t dressed as one, but dropping coin without asking price told her one of two things: either it wasn’t his and he was a danger, or he was too rich to care and therefore suspicious. In a whorehouse, the only one who didn’t get screwed was the madam. That was a rule that Vivian himself was the consequence of violating; a house was safety. The streets were the last place any whore wanted to be. That was where Mina would be headed if she dared steal from her mistress. Vivian rose out of his seat with a laugh, winding an arm around Jared’s waist and kissing the side of his neck.

“Nobles think they’re so cute slumming it.” Vivian smirked at Mina, and reached over Jared’s shoulder. He fingered the purse open, grinning and whispering into Jared’s ear. “Quit slinging coin before you get us both caught.” Accompanied by a sharp nip as punishment.

“What’s the price since I got tossed for guests, eh? Three silver?” Vivian asked.

“Seven and you know that god damned well.” Mina snarled. “Nine for you on account of the mistress hating your guts.”

Vivian pulled out ten and gave the last coin to Mina with a playful kiss. She snatched it out of his fingers and spirited it away inside her blouse, glaring at Jared. “Next time stick to your perfumed uptown whores. Fucking nobles.” She growled, and slapped a key down. “You get your old room in the attic. You’re lucky. We dusted last week.”

Vivian grabbed the key and herded the purse back to Jared. “Don’t worry, he’s paying for the full slum experience.” He cackled like a man who knew damn well he wasn’t the one being bent over, and grabbed Jared’s hand. He tugged him toward the staircase, smiling at him until they were out of sight. “Up the stairs, to the right and yank down the attic cord.” He hissed. “I hope your sex acting is better than that or I’m going to actually have to suck you off.”

[Gloomcrest]

6th of Ash, 4623

Acting wasn’t Jared’s strong suit and by most, a far cry when it came to any particular case when it came to talking. For most of Jared’s life, he had earned what he had by taking things he wanted most. The motto of ‘What’s yours is mine.’ was something that Jared learned by heart; yet despite having a stunning appearance, it was evident that wordplay and socialising was never taught in this particular thief’s day-to-day interactions.

The flurry of actions that happened within minutes of stepping inside the Green Lady proved that there was much to learn or, somewhat better, to stay away from all of this in its entirety as the brief anger exchanged between Myne and Vivian proved otherwise and before long, Vivian would quickly whisper into his ears in a calm but boiling tone to watch his coin slinging before getting the two of them caught.

In all honesty, the thief would have preferred a distraction to skulk around the building and within, gaining a better layout and planning rather than spontaneously diving straight into a robbery, let alone understanding the location and mannerisms used. Despite all this, the Draedan was getting a bit irritated on his end; he was out of his element for sure and seeing that was causing his Divine Spark to rage slightly from within.

As the two whores of the street finished their conversations in a bitter tone, the tug on his hand quickly snapped the thief’s thoughts as Vivian would lead him up the staircase; his reaction was marred with a hiss, and if it weren’t for his apparent nature, the thief would have taken it as a venomous retort.

“Than you better be praying to Ulen then… I already told you that acting and talking aren’t my strongest suits.”

The slight anger coursed through his veins, his divinity flaring through the cracks of his skin would trickle out a faint amber light as the thief allowed his emotions to take hold due to the stressful situation he was currently under, which was socialising with people.

“If there were more time to plan things out, it would have been easier for me to sneak in while you distracted… But what’s done is done; Just need to get out of sight and continue as planned… Just want to get out of here as quickly as possible; If you are worried about keys, I got that sorted…”

Jared couldn’t help but let out a light, annoyed sigh. His whispered tones showed much of his frustrations, but his thoughts would be transparent as the two arrived towards the supposed location of the attic. Reaching out for the cord, the Draedan would pull the cable down as the opening to the recently cleaned space is revealed, making his way in and awaiting Vivian to follow as the slight creaks of the boards support their weight for a moment or two.

[Vivian]

Vivian decided to keep his mouth shut until they got into the attic. In whorehouses even the walls had ears, and Jared was talking a little too loudly for his comfort. He waited silently until they had ascended into the attic, and he pulled the trapdoor up after them. Vivian turned to regard Jared, one eyebrow raised.

“I want you to listen to me. Whores and thieves have been allies as long as we’ve both worked the evening together. A thief is as much of an actor as a whore is, for what is a true thief if not acting as though he isn’t where he is? Keep ahold of your temper and you just might learn something.” Vivian tried to gentle his tone; there wasn’t anything to be gained from shouting at one another. “I’m sorry for not preparing you better. I really am. Alright?”

Vivian sighed and gestured to the attic. It was dusty, old, and had the distinct stink of old blood and viscera about it. The floorboards were stained, and only one window let in moonlight enough to see. The madam had dragged a few carpets over the stains in the floor, but Vivian eyed them anyway. The stains of his initiation. The cocoon that had sat, undisturbed, while he dissolved screaming within. He nodded to the bed in the opposite corner, which was at least somewhat clean if clearly disused.

“Sit. You paid for the night, so now we bide our time.” Vivian sat on the bed, looking over at Jared. “Another thief’s lesson. Patience. We wait until the place has closed, everyone’s bathed and asleep, and treat ourselves like normal clients. We didn’t pay for bathing or meal facilities, and Mina isn’t likely to pretend anything’s up here other than rats. Girl hates me.” He ran his hand behind his neck. “Whorehouses are very useful for a thief, especially if you want better quality marks. Rich men get their tongues loosened with drink and sex, and a few coins in the right girl’s hand will get you safe keys, passwords, things you’d have to wait weeks for that aren’t any use to her.”

Vivian flopped back on the bed, and eyed Jared. “Could take care of that naïveté for you….just an offer. And the stink of sex wouldn’t hurt the act we’re putting on.” He smirked. Jared wouldn’t take it. He didn’t have the guts, nor the interest. Vivian didn’t expect him to. He was merely teasing him. “It’s alright. I get the sense I’m not your type.”

[Gloomcrest]

6th of Ash, 4623

Seeing Vivian raise his brow with some form of confusion, possibly bewilderment, as Jared’s statement seemed out of the ordinary between the two, it was only when the two men went up into the attic where their voices were muffled behind walls and whispers couldn’t be heard was when his platinum-blonde companion started to explain in detail about whores and thieves working in tandem.

Yet, the fact that Vivian mentioned acting is a part of thievery and allure; the performance of it all wasn’t something that Alistian Draedan wasn’t so keen on; dancing was something that Jared spent some of his free time on; acting was another entirely different skill that the thief wasn’t well versed.

“Fair enough, acting is a part of urchin’s skill, but that isn’t for me wise. I've never been a socialite and don’t plan on doing so anytime soon. While it would be nice to score higher prey, kicking a hornet’s nest is beneficial, which I want to avoid if possible. After all, if you aren’t a magus, you have minimal rights at all; Hopefully, you can assist with my shortcomings; Just like you said, thieves and whores are allies, and what one person lacks, it can be filled by another vice-versa.”

Seeing Vivian grimace for a moment upon arriving in the attic, the amber-eyed thief couldn’t help but feel some concern for his friend. Going back to the scene of a traumatic scene would be difficult, let alone a graphic memory that lingers for years on end; his investigative abilities would quickly kick in as his amber-eyed gaze would pick up the various bloodstains and the odours of viscera that had aged and permanently stained the wooden boards and walls.

“I will take you on that offer, though it would be nice to be able to sit on something a bit more comfortable for a time. Fancy a cushion? Just give me a suitable pillow, and I will show you something fascinating.”

The thief simply smirked as he conjured a small globe of silvery light; the light cascaded lightly while covering a suitable distance, whilst the magic gave off a gentle warmth. The amber-eyed Draedan of Saren started to make himself relatively comfortable as the only thing left to do was to bide their time as the night was still young; the creakings of bedframes and the faintest of moans would trickle through the cracks of the walls.

“Naive as I am, you aren’t a bad-looking person yourself; you have an allure that I can’t describe, but I am sure you have bedded many men; this one, while not interested, can at the very least compliment on someone stunning in terms of presence and wordplay.”

It is true that while Jared wasn’t interested in Vivian, the thief was more than happy to admit that his preference for guys differs from what Vivian portrays, but that didn’t stop the thief from complimenting a beauty when he sees one.

“I know this is somewhat random, but do you long for someone? Like seeking a kindred spirit or possibly seeking out a part of yourself that is missing? Deep yes, but important to question the whys no?”