Aisling Wilde (showmeonce) wrote in emillion, @ 2013-08-11 15:01:00 |
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She just couldn’t catch a break. If it wasn’t one thing, then it was another, and it didn’t help that both of her jobs seemed to feel like they owned her. And while the syndicate did own her in a way, Ruby sure as hell didn’t. She was there to entertain herself and let off steam, not to get yelled at by the Mama for needing to take some extra time off. They’d finally come to the agreement that Ash would work a night or two a week, at her choosing, and show up for the stage shows. It was going to be a hassle trying to work org business around, but it was what it was.
Still, it didn’t mean that she had to like it. But it was extra gil in her pockets, and considering how much she was going to start pouring into construction efforts - without Ci’s knowledge - the padding would be good.
Frustrated, she ran a hand through her hair. Maybe she should stop by Sapphire, see if Aud wanted to go dancing or something. She really needed to blow off some steam before heading back into the drudgery that was cooking books and creative marketing.
Altair hadn’t waited long after the murderer was caught to return to the Red Light District. When thefearmemory of being taken back to EKP headquarters still hung over his head (he wasn’t afraid of Siana Banes or her behemoth of a partner, but it was an inconvenience he’d rather not repeat), it had been easy to stay out of the brothels. Once the threat was lifted, however, it had been something of a relief to throw himself back into a lifestyle of debauchery and irresponsibility. He could feel his impending marriage and his reckless promise to Gale closing around his throat like a vise, and it felt good to remind himself that he was not yet tied down.
He hadn’t been back to the Emerald since the death of Willow, and he wasn’t eager to return; so he’d been spending more time at the Sapphire of late. The Ruby provided a more … specialized service, and so the frequency with which he patronized that particular establishment had remained the same. He was becoming quite a familiar presence at the Sapphire, which wasn’t a bad thing, as long as it never somehow got back to Gale.
On this particular visit, he was distracted by feeling rather pleased with himself. Everything he was involved in seemed to be falling into place rather well, and so he reached the blue varnished door of the Sapphire in a particularly good mood. He opened the door for the woman behind him out of habit, stopping short when he discovered he recognized her.
He looked at the door, then at the woman. “Hello, darling,” he said with his most charming smile. “Am I lost, or are you?”
She almost didn’t recognize him: he rarely went to Ruby, and they sure as hell didn’t run in the same circles by any means. “Hey,” she said, raising her eyebrows. “Heard you were steering clear of these places.” Everyone had heard about Altair’s unlucky arrest when Conti was still around.
“I was,” Altair agreed, “but once Conti was caught, I decided that I’d no reason not to return.” He generally preferred the company of prostitutes to the men and women he met elsewhere in the city. It gave him the freedom to arrive when he wanted and to leave when he was done; and it afforded some degree of safety over the less expensive pick-up joints in neighborhoods like the Docks. He’d been robbed enough times that he no longer carried coin when he was there; and once he’d almost been stabbed for the contents of his purse. He’d rolled over just in time, and the knife had just missed his stomach, slicing a hole in his shirt instead.
She let him hold the door and sashayed by, entering the main lobby of Sapphire. “Here to see if Aud is around, actually,” she told him. The complete truth for once. A rarity among the people she ran with most of the time. “Here to check out the goods?” While she didn’t have a problem with people throwing gil at women to fuck, she never quite understood it. There was at least one person willing to sleep with someone for free, and all a prostitute did was satisfy an urge temporarily.
Normally, she chalked it up to the novelty of buying a hooker or to the bored inclinations of the rich. And Altair was definitely well off and appeared to be perpetually bored. Which, she thought, remembering Cian’s half-joking commentary, could play well into their favor. She just needed to see if he was stupid, which, being noble, was almost a certainty.
He raised an eyebrow in mild surprise when she mentioned Audrey. He hadn’t realized they were friends, although in retrospect, he knew she was acquainted with many of the prostitutes in the Red Light District.
“I believe Audrey’s been busy,” he said with a shrug. “She’s hardly ever here when I am, anyway. As for me....” Smirking, he lifted the coin pouch from his belt, tossed it in the air, and caught it: an unnecessarily ostentatious demonstration of his wealth, but it went with the image he was trying to cultivate. “I’m already well acquainted with the services provided in this establishment. I’ve only to decide what I’m in the mood for.”
Well, damn. She’d wanted someone to go out with, but she’d also needed to talk to Aud about the upcoming fight. Her train of thought was momentarily interrupted when Altair started tossing his coin pouch into the air. If one plan fails, she thought cheerfully, smiling. Nothing too big or suspicious - she’d grown up in the underground and knew exactly how to appear non-threatening, a lesson that many of peers sorely needed - but just bright enough to indicate her interest.
If he thought she was going to offer herself for his mood, well, it wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. He’d just be disappointed like the rest. “I always find it better to throw money at something that can get you something back,” she said offhandedly. “But if you want to waste money on fleeting pleasure, more power to you.”
“What do you have in mind?” Altair ansked, curious in spite of himself. The thought crossed his mind that perhaps her aim was to lure him (and his money) away from the Sapphire and into her own care at the Ruby—something he would not be opposed to, although she wasn’t his usual type at that establishment. Still, her talk of “fleeting pleasure” made him think that she was after something else entirely. In spite of the pains he’d been taking to play the bored, aimless nobleman, he was actually quite a bit bored most of the time. Between the whoring and the crime, nothing ever held his interest for long. Whomever Ash thought she was dealing with, she was absolutely correct on some level.
“Hear tell that there’s going to be a high stakes game soon,” she informed him, glancing over him as if sizing him up. Unless he held a good poker face, the guy was as good a candidate for fleecing as any of her usual clients. And this one had the added appeal of not taking his losses out on her at Ruby. “Bit of a risk, but high rewards if you’re any good.” And she was betting that he wasn’t.
“Of course,” she added, leaning against the front desk. Ebony was manning it and rolled her eyes at Ash making herself at home. The syndicates owned this district, and even if the Wildes didn’t own Sapphire, the Houses made it a rule to not be rude or take exception to the higher ups of any of them being taking up space. “Not sure if you’re up to the challenge. No offense.”
Now to see if he’d bite.
Altair laughed. “Darling, you don’t know who you’re challenging,” he drawled. “I’m a Laurent. We don’t lose money. Risk is all reward to us.” He buffed his fingernails on the lapel of his jacket and studied them. “Of course, if your gaming tables are suffering from a surplus of extra gil, I’d be more than happy to come in and rid you of it, a hand of cards at a time.”
This was as good as he could have hoped for. He’d been looking for an in with the syndicates, and losing thousands of gil at their gaming tables was a quick way to get in the good graces of any organization.
“What sort of paltry buy-in can I expect?” he asked, off-hand.
Ah. Arrogance. Ash loved it when those kinds of people lost thousands of gil. And if he proved enough of an investment, then they could probably take him a few times before he wised up. If he wised up. There were a few stubborn fools who came back, game after game, convinced that that was the night they were going to finally clean up. Ash didn’t attend the games much - she had shit luck at the tables, and Ci wanted to get money, not lose it - but when she did, she was always sure to sit with the ones with the smug smiles on their faces.
It gave her an inexplicable tingly feeling to watch it disappear.
“Buy ins differ depending on the game,” she said with a shrug. “If you’re interested, though, I could let you know the details. Just don’t come crying to me when you lose all of daddy’s gil.” Better to let him know up front what the risk was - she had no problem fleecing people so long as they understood that it was a possibility. And she was pretty sure that Cian was going to be taking everyone at the table for whatever they were worth. Might be worth it to stop by, maybe play at being some sucker’s Lady Luck.
"Yes," Altair agreed. "Do let me know, and I’ll be quite happy to attend.” He winked at her. “You know how to reach me if you need to, right?”
Turning to Ebony, he said, “Would you be a doll and tell Talon I’ve arrived? Please apologize for my tardiness. It won’t happen again.” Indicating Ash with his head, he added, “Feel free to blame Ash if it would help smooth things over. I know how valuable your time is.”
He glanced back at Ash. “Is there anything else?” he asked her.
Ash grinned. Hook, line and sinker. “I know how to reach you, Laurent. I’ll be in touch.” She gave Ebony a quick nod before turning around. “See you around.” With that, she sashayed out the door. She’d have to get in touch with Ci, see when the next one was.
Finally, it seemed like they were once again in luck’s favor.