Serpent's Tooth

[Cherubian]

Verialyn placed a calming hand on Phyliss arm, reminding her in a hushed tone "This is Gorankh, maybe you should not shout that loudly about your money."

Meanwhile Verkul seemed visibly aghast "What are you thinking, Miss Phyliss? We have of course guarded your posessions well!"

 

[Belinda35]

Just as her anger reached a climax, it kind of imploded, and she realized that her nipples had hardened, and all the little injuries she had suffered, dissappeared, and for a moment she felt something like a warm, pleasant feeling roam through her. The next moment it was gone, and she felt Verialyns hand on her arm. Somehow, she felt sunned and helpless.
"I would like to put on my lime green boots." she said very softly, while her eyes widened a little and her face lost the menacing, angry expression.

 

[Cherubian]

"Of course, of course" Verkul was quick to nod.

"Would you want to go immediately? In that case it would be gracious of you to let Fyrdhild wear your dress for a short while longer. Alternatively she would either have to walk the city streets naked or we would have to finish this purchase."

 

[Belinda35]

Phyliss felt strange and somehow uneasy suddenly, but she was determined to show no weakness. She had no issues with the girl; she was wearing her dress, what was somehow annoying, but the gorgon wasn't dumb and did not blame it on her.
"Why, just do the purchase." she said.

 

[Cherubian]

Verkul just nodded. Fortunately they had all but settled on the dress already, so he produced the necessary coins to pay the merchant and then Fyrdhild disappeared into the shop, wearing the new red dress when she returned and carrying Phyliss' slung over her lower arm.

Cautiously and wordlessly she approached the gorgon and extended her hand, offering the garment to its rightful owner.

 

[Belinda35]

Phyliss took the dress and put it into the new bag, before she turned to Verialyn.
"I guess some of the money will be missing, but hopefully our clothes and jewelery might be there. But now we have to coaches and quite a load of slaves. I wonder how to deal with that?" She waited for Verkul to take her to the coach, eager to check her possessions. She had forgotten about Fyrdhild already; she did not hate her, but she also didn't care. It seemed obvious she was a slave, and normally she did not think about slaves. Not that she was ever cruel or wanton to them, but for a long time, they were just something not in her focus. As Phyliss was browsing through her clothes in her mind already, she even forgot to calculate how much of their money Verkul spend for Fyrdhild already.

 

[Cherubian]

"If you will follow me Miss Phyliss. It is a bit of a walk ..."

With that Verkul began to lead them from the market, and then from the merchant district heading towards what must be the old town of the city.

Once they had left the crowds behind them and the streets became emptier he started to narrate, out of his own accord.

"You see, when we awoke in the forest in the morning, Quomor and me were facing a bit of a predicament. The traces were clear enough indicating that the two of you had been abducted. But Quomor seemed confident that you would be able to handle himself. He seemed to have particular faith in miss Verialyn for some reason.

Anyways it seemed apparent there was not much we could have done to actually help you ..."

 

[Belinda35]

"I guess so. We have survived."
Phyliss wondered how they should get along with such a large group. And who should pay for their expenses? The money would be used up if Verkul and Quomor thought they could use it, buying even their own slaves... And Tendromus was still there, and what gave her most trouble, Kroolshek, too. Her nemesis... She brought her mind back to her possessions. Strange that Verialyn never seemed to care...
"But i guessed you enjoyed your time, nevertheless."

 

[Cherubian]

"Sort of ..." Verkul replied with a sly grin.

"You see, since we knew we could not follow and liberate you and Quomor and myself agreed that staying in the forest was too dangerous, we continued towards Gorankh. We figured it was the most likely place for you to show up, or at least for us to hear tales about you." He hesitated for a moment, knowing he was treading dangerous terrain "A woman with your ... hairstyle ... is unusual and word does spread, after all."

Verialyn had to chuckle at that. Phyliss might not take it that well, but it was the truth.

"However we had no idea how long that would take, and so we knew we could not just sit on your treasure, we had to plan long term. So we started to put your funds to work..."

 

[Belinda35]

"Oh yes, I think she's working hard."
Phyliss wondered how far that coach was indeed. Maybe she sould ask someone to inform the two other boys that they have found what they were looking for?

 

[Cherubian]

Verkul raised his eyebrow "Pardon, miss Phyliss?"

Verialyn meanwhile just smiled and stayed silent.

 

[Belinda35]

"I know very well that you have some experience in trading slaves, but on what else did you invest our money?" said Phyliss, with a subtile glance to Fyrdhild.

 

[Cherubian]

"You think I am seeing poor Fyrdhild here as mere merchandise?" Verkul appeared visibly disappointed "I never was a trader in slaves, my gift was always to unearth hidden beauty. Would you believe some ignorant fool had presented her, dirty and in rags, as a cheap and lowly household slave?"

 

[Belinda35]

"Ah, I see it is a private purchase then." Somehow she became a bit worried...
"Say, how much money is left at the moment? You said you put some to work..."

 

[Cherubian]

"A private purchase?" Verkul's eyebrows rose "of course not. She is an employee. Of sorts...

Quomor insisted that the slaves we bought got a fair chance to buy their freedom.

Oh, and your gold... I think we invested about half of it by now."

 

[Belinda35]

"Ohh, the half of it. And invested for what, if I may be so inquisitive?"
They had left the market already, going into a narrowing street by now.
"Does it still take long to reach that coach?

 

[Cherubian]

"Well, naturally we had to pick an investment that allowed us to bring in our talents... "

They were way into old town by now, the market far behind them. Now Verkul turned into a large wide street. Old town was no longer the choice of residence for the citys utmost elite. Instead wealthy craftsmen and mildly successful merchant for the most part made it their home. But some of the buildings still were a testimony to its former glory, even if a bit run down aroudn the edges.

"What coach? Oh the one we travellled in.. That one should be nearby as well. But here it is..."

Verkul extended his hand towards the white facade of a large town house on the other side of the street. It was three stories high and in respectable condition although in some spots the facade would bbenefit from a bit of maintenance. The windows facing the street were relatively large, and the main entrance consisted of a double winged heavy oaken door large enough for a carriage to pass through, with a manhole for visitors on foot.

 

[Belinda35]

"Ohh, you have bought a house? Quite impressive."
Phyliss looked at it, and a suspicion rose in her.
"Say, you haven't founded a boarding house, did you?!"

 

[Cherubian]

"Well, we would not have been to conduct our new business venture in a boarding house, now would we?"

Right then Phyliss could observe a fourty something man, by the looks of him maybe a tailor or a carpenter, approach the manor and enter through the front gate.

 

[Belinda35]

"So don't let me go impatient. What is it all about?" Phyliss looked around.

 

[Cherubian]

"Well..." verkul hesitates only slightly. "... as I said previously Quomor and I were looking for a business venue where we both could aply our special talents. Sadly my only real gift is to dig up the prettiest slave girls around." For a moment he smiles at Phyliss and Verialyn, reliving the fond memory of how they had first met and how he had subsequently gotten to ravish the raven haired beauty.

"Quomor on the other hand seems to have quite considerable skills on the financial side of running a business. So our logical conclusion was that we should try our luck at founding a high class brothel ..."

At the sound of this Verialyn spontaneously burst out into laughter.

 

[Belinda35]

"So it is a boarding house! But I am a honorable woman, not a brothel madam!" Phyliss really felt startled, and Verialyns laughter didn't help much.

 

[Cherubian]

"But ... we are trying to shape it into a very respectable brothel." Verkul tried to rectify "Things have started quite promising, apparently there is a great demand for pretty and clean female company in this city."

"See it this way," Verialyn added "You don't have to appear in the public as the owner of the establishment. Verkul is quite fit for that task, wouldn't you agree?"

 

[Belinda35]

"I think so." said Phyliss. "But where will we stay? We can't live in there. I even feel unconfortable to be seen here. What will people think of me?"

 

[Cherubian]

Verkul raised an eyebrow, clearly somewhat perplexed. "The upper floors still offer ample room to reside in, and the accomodations are quite comfortable. I see no reason why you should not stay there."

Verialyn seemed to have fewer cncerns "I would not mind trying it. And if you don't want to be considered as a brothel madam, you could always pretend to just work there."