Dirt Petals

1

The smell of booze stilled in the air as bottle caps flew across the room and barrels popped open, each fuzzing out drinks similar to the colour of medicine-tainted piss into baby barrels. The massive cups clanked loudly as the drinkers smashed them against the raised glasses of their fellow drunks, cheering with their fresh drink in one hand and a pretty-faced drab in another.

Laughter to not-so-humorous jokes and roars to not-so-level-headed remarks reverberated onto the pillars of the building, vibrations from vigorous rocking beds above their heads sent it back. A party of drinks and clacks stayed below, while a different kind stayed above within their own separate quarters of comfort and privacy. A swingers party you could call it. Among these merrymakers that chose the fun above the bar was a rather happy fellow who also had a pretty face keeping him company. A pretty face that belonged to a man named Lupin.

His last name held no importance in that building, so he never got one, and neither had any other worker in that bustling building. "Lupin dear, you seem to be out of it -" the man beside him surely didn't care for it.

“-what seems to be bothering that little blonde head of yours?” the man whispered while playing with one of the numerous dreadlocks that poured onto his back.

Lupin muttered a curse before looking away from the ceiling and down to the needy client who sat next to him.

“Nothing at all, sir,” he sighed out softly.

His client didn’t seem to like his response though. Peeved, he took a few of his locs in and gripped it tightly, pulling Lupin’s head back with a hard tug. It almost made him hiss, but he couldn’t. He wasn’t too eager for a brawl today.

“You know I don’t like it when you call me that when we’re alone,” he whispered coolly, nuzzling into the bare neck of his caretaker, fangs threatening to break skin.

“I’m sorry Master…would you be so kind as to forgive me, please?”

His hair was finally set free, and with it, a soft sigh of relief from Lupin.

The man stood up and strutted around the room, picking up his previously discarded clothing that fell to the floor in the heat of his and Lupin’s night of fun.

“I’ll be off now, don’t miss me too much, darling,” he sang.

“Greet Ethel for me!” Lupin called before the door closed shut.

Lupin sighed now that his client was finally out of the room and fell onto his bed. His room was a mess, and so were his thoughts. Working for six days without break made both his body and mind yearn for a well-deserved break.

“Mother couldn’t even be kind enough to give his beloved golden child a break,” he grumbled to himself before slowly rising to rummage through his drawers for his door hanger.

While caretakers were inclined to perform for days on end as long as Mother said they were available, the caretakers were also given the chance to deny access to clients when they could no longer be of service for whatever reason, including emergencies. While it wasn’t a case of emergency, Lupin had had enough for the day.

He trudged to the door, kicking his crumpled clothes that littered the floor on the way to place the sign against the door handle that faced the party outside. The revolting stench of booze, sweat, and other things invaded his senses, making him bang the door and lock it shut in a flurry.

“It doesn’t pay to have a sensitive nose,” he hissed, rubbing his nose in disgust.

Lupin moseyed over to his closet just to rummage around his belongings for a small chest kept hidden and made his way to his bedside table. From the bottom of the little wooden safe, he detached a key, unlocked it, and from the chest pulled out; two worn-out leather books, two pens, a folded piece of cloth, two little ink jars, and a bottle of ink.