Wayfarer (Wanderlust 2)

Bonus - The Violet House

The Violet House was popular that afternoon. It always was, after big celebrations.

The main room was still decorated for the Tier Kuin-shon. Evergreen branches were woven together and hung from every doorway and staircase. The purple curtains had temporarily been replaced with light blue and white—wintery colours even though snow rarely looked that pretty in Krier Till. Grey would have been more appropriate.

Arastarow sat on his usual couch by the fireplace, eyeing the room. His coworkers were busy. Almost every other courtesan in the room was talking to a patron. Some were doing a great deal more than talking, even though it wasn't really allowed. Customers were welcome to browse the main room without paying. And even though certain things were only allowed in the private rooms upstairs after payment had been made, some courtesans tried to subtly cross that line. Anything to convince a patron to pick them and go upstairs.

The courtesans had mixed feelings about being downstairs. Some of them enjoyed it—the flirting, having rich people fawn over them. Some of them preferred going upstairs and would try to pick out and woo a patron of their choice. Despite personal preferences, there was an odd sort of urgency in the main room every afternoon. Everyone was expected to spend the night upstairs with at least one paying customer. It was a bit of a competition with the courtesans all pitted against each other.

Charm one of the young, beautiful patrons, or end up with someone awful. There were consequences for spending the night alone.

Ara's situation was a little different. He didn't have to compete with the others because Brendoro would send patrons to him. Anyone who seemed richer, or foreign, or important. Anyone who Brendoro decided deserved the very best the Violet House had to offer. So Ara's task every afternoon was to lounge on his sofa by the fire, looking pretty, and waiting for Brendoro to send someone his way.

Brendoro had a few favourites for this very purpose. On the other side of the fireplace, Rylirah was already fawning over a very expensively dressed older man. Rye was easily the most beautiful woman in the Violet House. She was always assigned to wealthy old men. Not too far away, Rye's younger sister Mirari was flirting with an elegant woman. Somehow Mira always ended up with women, although Ara was pretty certain she preferred men. Dorakora, the House's handsome strongman, had already taken his customer upstairs. That left Ara as the only favourite who was sitting alone.

Not that people didn't try to speak to him. But Ara was very well trained and knew how to move them along. And the other courtesans knew to steer people away from the favourites, anyway.

Ara sighed and dropped his gaze to his left hand. He should have redone the henna tattoo earlier that day. The flowers, swirls and dots were faded and blurred. Even though he couldn't remember Morcea, he was Morcean, and he had to cultivate the look. The way he wore his hair, his earring, and the dark makeup he wore around his eyes were all Morcean. Whenever he thought about it, Ara was surprised that he hadn't been given a Morcean name to go along with his persona. Not that many people noticed or cared.

But those two Southern men had noticed and cared. Soren and Tanden. Ara rubbed his henna tattoo but he was imagining Soren's tattoo instead. Those dark, crisp lines swirling all over his arms and shoulders. And Tanden's, that huge word centered on his back. Ara had never seen permanent tattoos like that.

He had also never seen men like them before. They were both taller than Dorakora—and Rako was known for being tall! Everything about them had seemed big. From their personalities to their—

"Arastarow?"

Ara blinked away his thoughts to look at someone who was so unlike the southern men that he felt a flood of disappointment. Then he reined in those unprofessional feelings and smiled. "Finally, someone interesting to talk to." He shuffled aside, making room for the man on the couch.