Courtesans - English version

11 Two and a half

Day of Oraearon

Dina sat up. The large yellow stain on the faded wallpaper glared at her with a bitter greeting. She closed her eyes again and turned away.

Shortly before noon, she went down to the dining room, though she wasn't hungry.

Suddenly, a door creaked open, and Harod appeared in the hallway, grinning as he pointed at Dina, who was slowly descending the stairs. "There you are, sweetie!" He lifted her from the last step as if she were his beloved, then wrapped her in a tight embrace. "I'm so glad you're finally here, so, so proud of you!"

"Uh... why?"

"Oh, you lucky little pig!" Harod sure knew how to flatter a woman. He gazed at Dina with a softened expression, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Don't play dumb with me. You knew this was coming, didn't you?"

Somewhere behind them, a few courtesans whispered to each other.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact, sweetie, that someone paid a Tád a pher for you!"

A Tád a pher cost several times more than a regular night. Literally translated as "two and a half," it referred to the days of Ormenel, Oraearon, and Orbelain, which meant Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday together—at least, according to tradition. Though in reality, the client could spend as much time with their chosen courtesan as they wanted, maybe weeks if desired. Even in the more reputable brothels of Perubia, it was rare for someone to pay for a Tád a pher, and it was an honor usually reserved for only the most famous courtesans—and even then, only a few times in their lives. In Harod's little dive, even the top ones couldn't hope for such a thing in their lifetime.

Behind Harod and Dina, one of the courtesans tossed the clothes she was holding onto the nearest chair and stormed off in frustration. They could still hear her muttering Siss's name.

Dina cautiously extricated herself from Harod's embrace. "So... what exactly does this Tád a pher mean?"

"A client who orders a 'two and a half' with a courtesan finds her enchanting not only in bed but outside of it as well. Who receive a Tád a pher are not only beautiful but also funny, articulate, excellent dancers, skilled in various social games, and overall, their personalities are captivating and uplifting. They are experts in their field, respected, and unique. And that's what you've become, my dear!" Harod's eyes sparkled. "At least, that's the word going around, because you can bet the Tád a pher is newsworthy, and that's good for you and the whole house!"

Dina looked back into Harod's eyes, but her thoughts were elsewhere. "And... so how does this work in practice? A girl with a Tád a pher is booked for the entire weekend, is that right? She can't go to anyone else, only to the one who..."

"That's right, sweetheart, just like you said, you're booked for the whole weekend! Or even longer. But one thing's for sure, we don't have to worry about finding you a client until Orbelain's evening."

Dina slowly smiled. So that's why Zevran was so relaxed; he knew we'd meet. And this must be the higher fee Morrighan was grumbling about.

"This..." she murmured, her eyes shining. "This really is good news."

Harod smiled back at her. "You deserve the compliments, my dear. Although..." He shook his head, looking away. "...there's a little matter I'd like to discuss with you."

Dina sensed something was wrong.

"Come on, we'll need to go among the girls for this. They'll tell you about it."