50- A wing-woman twice over
8/2/5/4353 M.A.C - Muchiri- Ashrama - Evening
Upon leaving his office and locking it behind him, Brahmin Viraj escorted the pair out of the eastern arch and back into the town of Muchiri proper. Although the sun had just about set, this section of the town was still buzzing with life and appeared more lively than the one they had walked through in the afternoon. He eventually led them to a large three-story building, a ways down the main eastern street, adorned with a large sign reading "The Hen House" with a picture of a plump chicken next to it.
"Good evening, Father. Have you come for a meal or for a drink? Are you maybe looking for a companion?"
Brahmin Viraj glanced back at Arctic and Emi, clearing his throat before replying.
"Table for three, please. Would you be so kind as to ask the mistress to pay us a visit whenever is convenient?"
Brahmin Viraj grabbed one of the attractive usher's slender hands with both of his while dipping his head forward. Emi's perceptive eyes picked up on a glint of silver in Viraj's hand, and she stifled a giggle.
Heh! He just slipped her a silver coin. Seems like greasing palms is a universal move. Leaving that aside, was the usher lady hitting on him with that 'companion' line?
The trio had been received in a plushly decorated antechamber with colorful tapestries adorning the walls and a thick velvet-like split curtain instead of a door.
Oh my...
Emi noticed that Arctic was lagging behind and stepped back to see what the hold-up was. She found her little brother with his eyes glued to a segment of one of the tapestries depicting a buxom dancer wearing nothing but a see-through skirt. When Arctic noticed his big sister's attention was on him, he blushed and hurried after the Brahmin without meeting her eyes.
There is quite a lot of exposed skin and other bits in these; no wonder Arctic got mesmerized.
Emi turned away from the tapestry to follow the others, only to notice that Arctic had stopped on the other side of the curtain. The young monkey appeared frozen in place, aside from his head, which darted in a different direction every time Emi blinked. As Emi stepped in after them, she suddenly understood his predicament.
The scene in front of them could have appeared to be a simple bar restaurant with tables for diners, a bar, some cushioned sofas to enjoy drinks, and a small stage for performances, but that was only true if you paid attention to the room and not the people. At least a dozen of the thirty people in the room made the word beautiful feel insufficient, almost an insult. They wore extremely revealing clothing but still had the important bits somewhat covered, along with loose, nearly transparent shawls draped around their bodies. The rest of the people looked no different from those Emi had seen outside, so she assumed they were fellow customers.
A Gawd! Gotta stop myself from laughing out loud!
Emi was no prude and had no issue with a little nudity or the concept of 'adult entertainment' as long as it was all above the board and nobody was getting exploited, but one small detail had her doubled over in an effort to contain her laughter.
I get the ladies, but why are the men also wearing nipple tassels!?
That observation and Arctic's awkward reaction nearly broke through her resistance, but the usher finally motioned toward a free table and sat them down.
"Interesting place you made me bring my little brother to. I think you may have overstimulated his mind a little, though; I don't think he is listening to a word coming out of my beak."
Brahmin Viraj chuckled and took a sip of water before answering.
"Well, this is the best fit I could think of. Many customers looking for entertainment who are free with their coin, decent and clean lodgings, and fairly cheap as long as you don't partake in any extra service they offer."
Emi thought over it for a few seconds, but she couldn't really find a flaw in his logic.
"...And of course, since you are an owl, I thought that 'The Hen House' would be fitting."
There we go. I swear, why do I keep meeting people who base their decisions on puns!?
One of the scantily clad male companions approached the table and handed them a menu each.
"Let me know if I can help you with anything. I am Fabio, and I will be serving you this evening."
Arctic hurriedly opened the menu and placed it in front of his face as if to show he wasn't ogling at the women, but his eyes seemed to keep finding their way away from the writing nonetheless. Emi was going to ask him for help reading the menu, but she feared he would be rather useless in his present condition.
"I can't read Modern Imperial, could you help me?"
Emi had spoken up while peering at the menu, but she had directed it at Viraj. Fabio perked up like a fireman hearing an alarm and went to work. He alluringly made his way behind Emi's chair, swaying the pompoms on his tassels side to side with each step, put his left arm around her left shoulder, and brought his face in next to hers, just above her right shoulder.
"Let me help you with that. First, we have some succulent starters. Goat cheese and pepper 'stuffed' lettuce pouch, 'large' river prawns in 'secret sauce'-"
Emi couldn't take it anymore. Fabio's suave walk and his smooth approach, swinging tassels and all, had already been on the verge of forcing the contained laughter out into the open. Still, when he started whispering the menu items into her ear seductively, making sure to stress words like "stuffed" and "large", it had become another ballgame altogether. What really did the trick was his last word; upon hearing "secret sauce" Emi slapped a hand on the table and started laughing for half a minute straight, barely able to catch her breath.
Sorry, Fabio, but you've got nothing on the guys at the host club Meg dragged me to when she and Ben came to visit Tokyo. That muscle freak actually got one of the poor dudes crying; it was not their fault her tastes were so different from their average customers. Telling them that she found the average sumotori more attractive than them was a little hardcore, though.
Emi had never been particularly weak to the types of charms Fabio had on display. Growing up alongside straightforward navy men who spoke their minds and showed their feelings through their actions had made her grow an appreciation for driven men without pretenses. Well, she did have to learn how to cut through their bluster and bravado, but that is an entirely different topic.
Fabio's face turned crimson as he stepped back from Emi's chair to distance himself from the laughing bird. Viraj and Arctic both glanced his way with a look of pity on their faces. Fabio looked like he'd rather be anywhere else than here, in this moment, but the party was yet to order, so he was stuck there until Emi was done.
"Sorry Fabio, it's not you, it's me. Don't mind that."
Her raucous laughter had attracted the attention of nearby diners, who all heard one of the oldest lines in the game. The amount of pity being directed toward Fabio increased manyfold as an oblivious Emi failed to realize that the wording of her apology did not come across as she had expected until it was too late.
What did I do? Am I a bully?
All of Fabio's sultry charms seemed to fade away like the morning mist as the man crouched in place, covering his face in shame.
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Dude, this might be the hen house, but you are not an ostrich, covering your face isn't going to achieve any-
"Who dares bully my poor little Fabio!"
A tall armor-clad woman, who appeared to be in her mid-forties, brusquely forced her way to Emi's table, jostling people and chairs along the way without a care, all the while staring Emi straight in the eyes.
Oh Shit! Not even one day in town, and I'm already 'bout to get myself killed...
As the woman reached the table, Arctic made to stand up and get between her and his big sister, but Brahmin Viraj grabbed his forearm to stay him before clearing his throat loudly. The dangerous-looking woman looked at the Brahmin and her face paled; all the hot blood that had risen to her head draining at once, taking her bloodlust along with it.
"Se-se-senior Brahmin Viraj!? What are you doing here?"
"I am merely inviting some newly arrived friends to dinner and showing them a place where they may perform and stay. What are you doing here, Kshatriya Aniya? I am not going to ask why you are on a first-name basis with our man Fabio here, but was I just about to see you engage in violence against an innocent civilian?"
Kshatriya Aniya's face was already as pale as it could get; if any more blood drained away, she might very well faint in place.
"I may not have broken the law, but I'm not sure I can call myself innocent. Why don't you act like you didn't see anything as long as she promises not to take this any further?"
Emi guiltily glanced at Fabio before settling her attention on Kshatriya Aniya, hoping the woman would play along.
She seems to be a regular here. I already embarrassed Fabio; causing trouble for a regular isn't going to help my case.
"Violence against a civilian? Me? Never! I just noticed this very nice-looking owl lady here and wanted to introduce myself."
Fabio spread his fingers slightly to peek through the gap, only to see his defender shaking hands with Emi, a forced smile on her face. Fabio stood up abruptly and ran up the nearby stairs with a dramatic flourish while letting a couple of sobs ring out. It was now Kshatriya Aniya's turn to crouch and cover her face.
"Ah! What have I done!? It took months for him to finally drop my title and just call me Aniya...Now he is going to hate me."
"Kshatriya! Get ahold of yourself, you are in public, and you are in uniform! Show a little Onus Dignitas!"
The Brahmin's words hit Kshatriya Aniya like a bucket of ice-cold water, and she jumped to attention.
"Yes, Father! Sorry, Father! Won't happen again, Father!"
As Kshatriya Aniya turned around and made to leave, Viraj started speaking once more.
"Good. Now, if you aren't on duty, get out of uniform and come back. I'll treat you to a drink to drown your sorrows, as I am indirectly responsible for them. My friend here will also grace us with what promises to be an entertaining performance; it might help you take your mind off things."
Gonna have to send Ishan a thank-you gift of some sort for his recommendation letter; Viraj really saved the day.
***
This is tastier than I expected. Guess the adult entertainment side of things is more of an add-on than the main business. Otherwise, the food would be a lot worse.
A pair of musicians were up on the stage, one playing what looked like some sort of large harp with a wooden back, the other sliding a bow along a one-stringed instrument. Both appeared skillful, but the more limited one-stringed instrument mostly served as an accompaniment to the other, more complex one. The man playing the harp-like instrument launched himself into a furious ten-minute session, his fingers moving along the strings so swiftly and vigorously that Emi was amazed that he was yet to fumble or cramp up.
Mostly different modes of the pentatonic scale eh? I did hear a couple fourths and sevenths, but they seemed to mostly show up when the musicians were using sliding notes...The instrument doesn't look specifically built for it, but the musician did manage to cover the chromatic scale when he needed to somehow.
A youthful-looking woman approached the table, but the amount of poise and the depth of her gaze betrayed that she had lived through many more years than met the eyes.
"Good evening Aniya. I heard about Fabio. Don't worry, he'll sulk a bit then forgive you. You really put her in between a rock and a hard place, Father."
"I was as lenient as I could afford to be. Remember that, unlike Kshatriyas, we Brahmins are always on duty until the day we retire. Why am I droning on? You know all about Onus Dignitas, I've heard how you care for your employees, Mistress."
Brahmin Viraj gave the mistress a sincere smile and a small nod. The mistress returned the smile and fanned her face in a slightly exaggerated manner.
"Oh my. How smooth you are, Father. One might almost be tempted. I've also mostly only heard good things in your regard. May I ask what has finally brought you to my establishment? Not that I am complaining, mind you."
Alright, now that's what I'm talking about. She should really give Fabio some lessons; he really lays it on thick. The mistress's got it, though; Viraj doesn't look entirely unaffected.
"Um, yes. Right. An old friend asked me to take care of these two as a favor since they just came into town and don't know anyone here. I thought your place might be a good fit for them. They want to keep traveling, but they don't have a lot of funds, you see. Emi is a performer, and Arctic is good with his hands; might you be able to hire them for room and board? If not, could you give them a deal on your cheapest room and allow them to perform?"
The mistress put one hand on her hip and the other on her mouth as she thought her answer over.
"Tell you what, I'll give them a decent deal on the room whatever happens, but how about we try them out this evening to see if they are worth hiring for a while. In either case, I imagine that their being here increases the chances of you gracing us with your presence again."
The mistress finally seemed to score a solid hit as Brahmin Viraj's face grew noticeably redder. The mistress let out a melodious chuckle and put her arms on Arctic's shoulders.
"Alright, young man. If you are going to be working the room, let's get you into a uniform!"
Emi did a spit take, covering Arctic's flabbergasted face with her drink. Arctic barely registered the spray as his mind went over what the mistress said.
"Oy, Mistress! He is only 14, you can't have him doing dodgy stuff!"
"Don't worry, we'll only have him work the room or bar, no monkey business. We have a different uniform for the workers that don't offer companionship, so don't worry. As for you, why don't you go on up and show me how you can fill an hour once these two are done?"
***
"Don't you look spiffy, Little Brother?"
Emi was once again struggling, trying to contain her laughter. As the mistress had promised, this uniform was less revealing than the one Fabio had worn, but it was still rather comical to Emi. Arctic stood there in short shorts, a pair of suspenders holding them up with a patch of fabric covering the chest area. The uniform was completed by a fez adorned by one of the same colorful tassels that were swaying on his new colleagues' chests.
Man, I don't want to hurt his feelings, but it looks like someone crossed one of those Octoberfest Tyrolean shorts and suspenders getup with a tube top or sports bra.
Arctic looked a bit reticent at first, but he seemed to enjoy the attention and made use of his great sense of balance and nimble fingers to zoom about the room without spilling a thing while bringing customers their orders.
Good job Arctic, way to show them! Guess it is my turn to prove my worth.
Emi was about to make her way up to the recently vacated stage, but a drunk-looking man stumbled onto the stage, holding something that looked suspiciously like the type of recorder children learn to play on. Rather than the cheap plastic those are normally made from, this one looked like it had been hand-crafted from wood by a novice.
Good thing this guy looks like he's got huge calluses, even just seeing it is giving me splinters. This thing can't be tuned properly, can it?
The rough look of the instrument made Emi struggle to call it a recorder, even in her thoughts, but the man had obviously spent a lot of time making it.
"LAKSHMI! LAST YEAR, YOU TOLD ME YOU CAME HERE BECAUSE YOU LIKED MUSIC! I CARVED THIS AND TAUGHT MYSELF FOR YOU! PLEASE LISTEN! IF YOU LIKE IT, BECOME MY WIFE!"
The amount of liquid courage the man had imbibed was turning what Emi thought was supposed to be a romantic show of affection into the most nightmarish proposal she had ever seen. The man half spoke, half yelled, and the intensity he was displaying was a bit frightening.
A few of the people in the crowd seemed to recognize the man and encouraged him to go on, although Emi wasn't sure how many of them just wanted to see the trainwreck she was expecting. One person had a very different reaction. A middle-aged woman, one of three fawning over one of the male companions enjoying drinks on the sofa, stood up and stared at the stage like a deer caught in headlights.
Alright dude! This is your lucky day! I'll be your wing-woman, both literally and figuratively! Damn it! I think I might have been infected with the pun disease...
The man on the stage straightened up and filled his lungs with such a sharp and large breath that Emi was afraid that the first note might be powerful enough to burst many an eardrum, but she was here to save the day. Emi inched closer to the edge of the stage and intercepted the sound coming from the recorder, replacing it with the first romantic recorder song she could think of.
A high F quickly turned into a G, and the theme tune to the movie "Titanic" started melodiously resounding throughout the room, to everyone's surprise. A small handful of people seemed to catch on to the fakery, noticing that the note changes did not match the man's finger movements. Still, the oblivious man drank in the reaction from the crowd and started really getting into it, incorporating something that looked like a cross between an Irish jig and Cossack kicks to his routine. As the poor man was playing an uptempo and discordant tune, he had no idea how poorly his chosen dance moves matched with the song the crowd was actually hearing.
Damn, the guy has moves! Let's transition to a more fitting style.
The dance moves reminded Emi of a track she'd played on a dancing videogame, back in her previous life, and she decided to go for it. A lively and infectious tune started playing and the crowd started tapping their feet, knocking their hands or glasses on the table with the beat.
Ra-Ra-Rasputin...
Emi was not immune and started hopping from one foot to another as she enjoyed herself.
Might as well share the feeling!
Emi activated [Reciprocal Empathy] and [Share my joys, Share my pains] to elevate the performance another notch. Emi could feel a few people refusing the nudge, but most let the Abilities run their course, some standing up to join in the man's dance onstage.
"By the way, this is mostly my doing. Can we say my hour has started?"
Emi used her Abilities to whisper a message directly into the mistress's ear. The woman was a bit startled at first, but upon locating Emi to the side of the stage, and catching her wink, she smiled back and nodded.
Baito Get!
