David needed some time away from game. He had flexibility with his job, but he had pushed that to the limit.
Also, he needed time to take stock of where he was. The past day had
been a whirlwind of activity. One real-world day ago, Ariel had started to
work with real clients in the training brothel. Now, she was an
initiate of the Whores Guild soon to be an apprentice.
Even the David of three weeks ago would not recognize his life. The idea that it would feel natural to take a break from lunch to give someone a quick hand job … no, David of three-weeks-past wouldn’t understand that at all. Of course that David had never met Hulda. His dreams and fantasies of sexual liberation were just that: dreams, mixed with shame, to be dragged out under cover of dark.
He needed to take some time to appreciate how different things were. Was he sure this was what he wanted?
If he continued to steer the current course, Ariel would become his life. Rather than working a normal job, he would fuck people in a virtual world. That … didn’t bother him as much as it seemed like it should.
Perhaps there would be more: helping other people realize their dreams was something he could get behind. Some of the fan chat comments had hinted at how Ariel’s boldness had helped people in the real world. What job would that be? A kind of sex educator? He didn’t know if there was a word for that aspect of Ariel’s effect on the real world. If he were honest, he didn’t even know if she would succeed in doing much of that work. Sure, there were the comments, but how much could a game affect things in people’s real-world lives?
If his life became playing Ariel, what of David? In game it didn’t matter. Out here though … he didn’t want to be eclipsed by his virtual persona. And yet if he valued his privacy—valued protecting his real-world identity—Ariel might well eclipse him.
That wasn’t right. What he was doing was hard too. Or perhaps, his perspective added additional dimensions to why the work he was doing as Ariel was hard work. He wanted recognition for that work. But he saw no way to get that recognition while protecting himself in the real world.
Speaking of protecting himself, he wasn’t sure what to think of a note he had received on that front:
Celebrex Security had written detailing their success at protecting the biggest stars in Phoenix Rising,. The note had been forwarded by the company to preserve his identity. He’d asked to hear about it, or at least as his confidant, Hulda had suggested he look into real-world security. He gave her permission to send a discreet inquiry.
David felt a knot of panic as he thought about his identity becoming public. Even so, it felt unreal to be thinking of hiring security because of something he did in a game.
If he did need security, Celebrex might be a good option.
They focused on protecting their clients with minimal disruption. They started with small steps like making sure residential security systems were up to date and rapidly filing privacy letters with anyone who attempted to leak the locations of their clients. When necessary, they provided more intrusive services like package screening, security drones, and even guards. But as much as possible they tried to let their clients continue without disruption to their life.
The cost structure was also interesting. They did have a time and materials option. But they had a deal with Phoenix Rising called the assurance option. You paid a percentage of your game income and any external sponsorships. To get service, your income needed to be high enough, at least initially. After you bought in, though, you were given protection even if your income fell. Current stars ended up paying to keep past stars safe.
Some day, he might have to follow up with Celebrex.
For now, no one was trying to figure out who played Ariel.
As he did ordinary things—working on his job, eating in the real
world, cleaning his residence—he reveled in the slow, relaxing pace.
The last days had been so hectic. It was exhilarating: it brought the
best of the thrill of gaming. But because the content was
emotional, it wore David down over time. Out here in the real world
without time compression, that was catching up with him.
He was glad that in-game looked to be slowing down too. The next few days would be filled with learning about Whorecraft. It sounded like a combination of working to master a new modality for casting magic and learning a bunch of rules for the guild.
That couldn’t possibly be as intense as the last week in game.
After a few hours, David finished up his work and prepared to enter game.
From the Video Blog of Ariel, the First Immortal Whore
Florence is knocking on my door. I answer. She proposes that Samantha and I get together with her and Bruce to start learning basic Whorecraft. “It looks like you are in demand,” she says. “I don’t want to be embarrassed like that in front of the guild master again, you called to a client and me without a way for you to cast Cure Disease. Simplest solution is for you to learn the spells.”
“Sounds great. Master Kessler said I should learn that all in one lesson.”
“We’ll see. We’ll certainly make a start. Come along.”
We’re working in a room I’ve never seen before in the training brothel. “Soon enough, you’ll leave this building behind,” Florence says.
“I will?”
“Now that you are initiated, most of your training will take place in the brothel where you are stationed: the main guild hall in your case.”
“Well, perhaps.” Bruce walks in in time to hear Florence’s explanation. “Florence, we’ll still be working with the trainees that have not been initiated for a few days yet. So, she might be back over here to work with us.”
Florence nods. Samantha joins us.
We are settled and ready to start.
Bruce begins. “Once you feel your magic, the basic spells should be easy. It’s just a matter of shaping your intent.”
He continues, “But it’s tricky to know what to look for at first. We’ll try casting and you can work to detect the spell we cast. That ought to give you a feel; we’ll use that to go to the next step.”
Bruce wants to work with me, but Florence convinces him otherwise. “I had to sit with her all lunch yesterday. Avoiding jumping someone smelling of their initiation that long is asking a lot.”
Bruce smiles. “If you insist, you’re welcome to have your turn with Ariel.”
I’m on a bed. Samantha is on the next bed over. Florence is between my legs, gently stroking me. Here’s to lessons in the Whores Guild, where we learn on our backs with a sexy girl between our legs.
“So do you always have to finger someone to cast these spells?” I ask.
“No, any sexual connection that is strong enough will work. How strong you need depends on the level and skill of those involved. I’m fingering because it’s harder to talk while I’m licking you. I could cast with my own orgasm especially if I were touching you and you were turned on, but that would be harder for you to feel.
“When you are turned on, Bruce could probably cast just touching you. I bet I could have done that yesterday when you came back from initiation, but normally that little connection would require more skill than I have.
“It’s easiest and cheapest if you bring your target to orgasm, but it doesn’t matter how you do that.”
Her fingers have been at work. She’s starting to get past the clinical nature of the experience. Under her hands my excitement builds.
“Just as you start to come down, I’m going to cast. It would be easiest to cast as you peak, but I want you to try and pay attention. The day after your initiation, you’re gonna peak hard.”
My climax sweeps through me. As I begin to come down, I feel her
energy. It flows through my body cleansing.
“I got it.”
“Good. Now you work on me. When I come, try and push energy along the channel you’ve created.” She pauses. “Please don’t try to do anything with that energy, just see if you can pass along mana.”
“Okay. You can swing around into a sixty-nine and I’ll get to work.”
The height difference means it is a bit awkward for me, but we manage.
It is easy to get carried away by her taste, realizing how I’ve been turning her on. She humps my face as she gets closer. I succeed in focusing, and as she comes, I reach for her. Not with a hand, but instead, I can feel her there when I think about it. I extend myself toward her in that place where we are close. She’s coming again and it feels so good.
“Uh huh. You can—oh fuck!—yeah, you can stop.”
I pull away.
“That’s got it.” She laughs. “Although we might need to work a bit on control.”
“What was wrong?”
“I was hoping for a little energy. Not a flood.”
“Ah. It was my first time, and I wanted to make sure it worked. I think I could send less.”
Samantha is screaming her joy next to us.
It takes her a couple of tries to feel what Bruce is doing. But once she does, she too is able to push energy to Bruce.
“Now we try and teach you spells,” Bruce says. “One of you will be the target and the other will be trying to learn the spell. Samantha, as I cast, try and feel what I’m doing with the energy; in a while you will try to replicate it.
“Ariel, you are the first target. You should follow along too. It’s possible to learn as the target, but don’t expect to do it your first time. The practice helps, but this round is mostly for Samantha.”
“So, what are you casting?”
“I’m going to cast Remove Pregnancy on you. Samantha will try to follow along. She will need a connection to both of us.” As I’m sure you guessed, the last means I’m eating Samantha’s cunt slops. Bruce fingers me. I can smell his lust, but I don’t need to: his cock bobs where I can see it once Samantha slides off my face.
I feel both of them in that special place. Bruce reaches out. A light blossoms in my womb. But there’s also a package of something; I reach for it.
Notification
You have 70% comprehension of the sex magic spell Remove Pregnancy. At 75% comprehension you can attempt to cast the spell. Casting a spell you have not fully comprehended can reduce its effectiveness and may introduce negative consequences for the caster and target.
“Ah! I’m right close. I got 85%,” Samantha says. “Can I go an try it?”
“Perhaps on Florence,” Bruce says.
“Isn’t that dangerous?” I ask.
“At 85% given that we’re sure she’s not actually pregnant? It might hurt a bit, and I wouldn’t ask a student to risk that, but it’s something we face when learning new spells.”
“Then I’m good with her trying on me. I got some—not enough to cast though—and I’d like to try getting more. I am okay if it hurts.”
“Samantha, you may proceed.”
“Aye, give me a little come an we’re right down to business.”
It doesn’t take long and I reach another little aftershock. The spell comes crashing through my core, cramping like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I’m almost too distracted to follow, but I do see her push toward my womb and the ball of light blossom. It’s jagged where Bruce’s was smooth. There’s not a package of information to reach for, but I think I understand the difference between the two spells. The game agrees: I have 90% mastery.
“Oof! That hurt. But I have 90%. I’m going to try.” I flick the spell out into the special place. But I am still disoriented from cramping and don’t pay much attention to where I cast.
Bruce doubles over and screams. I’m up to 95% mastery though.
“Ouch! That’s not a spell … never cast that unless your target has a womb.”
“I’m really sorry. You were both there in my lust and I didn’t think.”
Bruce rubs his lower abdomen. “Well, your spell was near perfect, it’s just not a good fit for guys. Or for that matter anyone who is missing a womb for any reason.”
“If Jonathan couldn’t cast Remove Pregnancy on himself, shouldn’t he have asked me about casting it during my initiation?”
“You weren’t in any position to answer that while he was seducing you. He could have checked to make sure you weren’t pregnant before and maintained that. But he probably did something else.
“There are contraceptive spells at higher levels for cases when you need a lasting effect. The female version is relatively simple at most points in a woman’s cycle. The male version is more complex, but obviously something Jonathan could handle for himself.” He points at me. “Don’t get the genders messed up on those either.”
“Perhaps we should make sure Ariel can tell the difference between men and women before we go teaching her the complicated spells,” Florence says.
“Hey! That’s not fair.”
“We’ll see what Bruce thinks.”
“Let’s go over the compendary for Remove Pregnancy before moving on to anything else.” We spend a while going over the implications and counter indications of the spell. As you might imagine our obligations are serious. Failing to manage contraception is an offense under guild law. So is needlessly endangering the unborn child of a desiring mother. Messing up in the heat of passion is no excuse.
“The law is even more complicated if you are hiding being a whore. You can’t even take advantage of those provisions until you reach artisan rank, so we’ll skip that for now.”
“Why’d ya hide being a whore?” Samantha asks.
“Aubrielle hires you to spend a few months seducing an enemy general or a goblin lord or something like that. If they find out you are a whore, your cover is potentially blown.”
“Ah, cool! Yeah I see.”
“So, now let’s try Cure Disease. Ariel, you try to follow while I cast on Samantha.”
Bruce fucks her from behind while she eats my snatch. It doesn’t take long. With a grunt, he comes and casts.
It’s the same cleansing energy that Florence used on me. Except there is information for me to grab.
Notification
You have comprehended the sex magic spell Cure Disease.
Well, that was efficient. “I got it.”
“What percentage?”
“It doesn’t say. Just says I comprehended the spell.”
“An I only got 50%,” Samantha says.
“That’s not bad, Samantha.”
“But Ariel done got the whole thing in one shot.”
“We’ll see. Ariel, can you demonstrate on Florence?”
She’s already on the other bed with her legs spread. I dive in and cast. “Oh! Fuck, that hurts!” My head is throbbing, my heart pounding, and I’ve managed to expend 95% of my mana.
Bruce is angry. “What did you think you were doing?”
“Casting the spell?”
“You actually need a sexual connection. You can’t just lick once and cast. There’s no way that will work at your level.”
“It almost did,” Florence says. “The spell was well formed, just way under powered. I’d guess 5 to 10 percent of what’s needed.”
The two of them look at each other. “I’m tempted to make you demonstrate on me. If it hurts as much as casting on Florence appears to have, negative reinforcement might be good for you.”
“I’m not going to forget. Besides I have almost no mana left.”
Bruce looks at Florence questioningly. “What did her Whorecraft come in at?”
“I don’t think she or Jonathan said.”
“Beginner 8.” Reluctantly I continue, “But it could have been Artisan 1 on points. I didn’t have the necessary experience, so it is effectively limited.”
Bruce’s eyebrows climb. “Well, that’s different.”
Samantha looks dejected. Florence rubs her shoulders. “Immortals learn stuff fast. It comes from the curse and the way they rush headlong into everything, throwing their lives away.”
“But how can I hope to keep up?”
“Staying close to her will help. Companions of immortals tend to keep up with their immortals.”
“Part of it is that I helped Jonathan with my initiation,” I say. “You know how I was able to help him know I was okay? That made his power go up to 120% efficient instead of 80% efficient.”
“Wow. I just wanna make it big for once. An there ya are an I’m competing with ya an her highness an all.”
“You are not competing. We’re helping you out. After lunch Aubrielle and I were talking about if she can get you training so that you might be a courtesan some day.”
“Ya’d do that? I want that so bad, but I ain’t seeing how I’m gonna ever do that.”
“I hope so. Aubrielle will talk to you when she has a plan.”
“An you asked her to help?”
I nod. She tackles me to the bed and wraps me in a hug. “Thank ya ever so much!”
Bruce works with Samantha, and in a couple of attempts she comprehends Cure Disease.
My mana is recovered. This time I take the time to get Florence off and cast a flawless Cure Disease.
Now that both of us know the spell, we focus on the compendary. It’s relatively simple. As Bruce puts it: “If they are your client, you make sure they walk away without any disease. You make sure you never have one yourself.”
Of course, not quite that simple. There are counter indications, or at least diseases so powerful that this spell cannot cure them. Most of them don’t seem to be sexually transmitted. We can’t cure cancer with a quick fuck for example, at least not if it has taken hold. But Nathan’s right: Whorecraft Cure Disease is massively powerful, almost over-powered for its cost.
“Since Ariel is close to artisan rank, Should we go through the hiding your Whorecraft compendary addendum?” Florence asks.
Bruce looks at us. “You both are considering covert quests?” We nod. “Then Florence might be right. Ariel might be an artisan whore sooner than we expected.”
So we spend a while understanding the complex rules around hiding your identity as a whore.
Later, in three tries I am able to learn the male version of the contraceptive magic spell. It’s expensive to cast because I’m not a man. But I can make a man infertile for a couple of weeks with willing consent. I doubt I have the mana to do it without consent, but that’s okay because I shouldn’t need to.
The female version is supposedly easier than the male version. Well, at least if you have received midwife training. Without that, it’s horribly complicated. So we defer that until later.
The next few days are going to be like this: I will be spending a lot of time in classrooms, learning rules and practicing sex magic. Sex will be about building sufficient energy for the magic, not as much about pleasure. It’s harder for me to do that, but skills like Seduction help. Even my Fucking and Oral Sex skills are high enough level that it’s easier than I expect to build energy for magic.
This afternoon I have brothel training at the main brothel, followed by my first shift.
I arrive a few minutes early.
That’s good because when Jonathan sees me, he tells me that Master Kessler wants me.
“Do you know what it is about?”
“No, madam, I would not presume to speak for the guild master.”
The runner lad shows me to her office. I’ve got to find time to learn this building.
Hulda is there. The guild master asks me to close the door.
“Now that Ariel is here, can we begin?” Master Kessler asks.
“What’s this about?”
“Goodwench Brown showed up as your confidant. We are still working out the roles of immortal whore confidants, but I’ve just learned today that they can insist on training for you.”
“Master Kessler, I know nothing about this.”
“Relax, Ariel,” Hulda says. “She ain’t gonna be upset none.”
Master Kessler nods.
“So what’s this all about?”
“Was thinkin about ya and your moon blood. Guild Master, immortals don’t handle moon blood like we do: they got fancy immortal stuff instead. Some of them got stuff put inside so they don’t bleed at all.”
“I guess that’s roughly true,” I say.
“Well she needs to know more what she’s in for than me showing her where to buy moon blood rags.”
“Fair enough.” The guild master stands and walks from behind her desk.
Hulda sniffs. “Ah, yeah, that’d work right well for a start,” Hulda says.
“What is going on here?” Whatever it is, I don’t think I am going to like it much.
There’s a hint of challenge in Master Kessler’s eyes when she looks at me. “You are welcome to come over here and change my rags.” She laughs. “I don’t think I’ve had a female client do this before. And normally the guy is somewhere between horrified that he’s actually indulging himself and so turned on he has trouble focusing.” The glint of challenge is back. “Unless you’d like someone else.”
It takes me a few moments to realize that she is menstruating, and
Hulda and the guild master think that dealing with the physical aspects
of that will be good for me. Then her comments about clients sink
in. There are people into that? Oh, right, silly question. There are
people into everything. I shouldn’t judge others; my cream pie fetish is bad enough. But yuck!
I glare daggers at Hulda. I can’t believe she’s doing this. I am absolutely mortified. And yet there is Master Kessler … how much more embarrassed would I be in her position? But she is not showing any embarrassment at all. I sniff, applying mana to Smell of Sex. The metallic scent of her menses is obvious. I’ll never be able to unsmell that. It is not that it smells particularly bad—like everything else it turns me on even—it’s just that now that I recognize the scent, every time I’m near a woman, I’ll know. …
But that’s not why I sniffed. I wanted to know if she’s driven by her humiliation. I don’t know for sure, because my skill is not up to just standing there and letting someone change my blood rags … no I just couldn’t do that. But if I could do that with Humiliation, I’d be so horny. She’s not. She is turned on, but I think that’s from challenging me to be her client. With her gaze she’s saying, “Ariel, have I done enough? Are you ready to open to me?” For the rest? … She is just doing it … just standing there, waiting for me to clean her up like it’s no big deal.
“Ariel? Am I acceptable?”
Is she? Behind that challenge is vulnerability. If I do not work with her here, she will be hurt. She’s made an effort since she approved my initiation; she is hoping I can open to her. If I do not, I’m going to have to repair the damage. But I think I can. She has done a lot. “Yes. It’s just … I’m surprised you aren’t more embarrassed.”
She chuckles; I recognize the note of acerbity. “I’m a master whore. You see it all.”
I am standing next to her. She pulls open her desk and finds clean moon blood rags. She places them on the desk.
She’s waiting for me. I lift her skirt. She’s wearing underwear more substantial than the thongs I’ve been wearing. That makes sense. I start to try and take them down.
She shakes her head. “No, like this. Unbutton at the back, but hold things so the rags don’t all fall out.” I see the buttons she’s talking about. Ah, now some of the garments Hulda had me buy make sense. These are what she called messies. I didn’t understand at the time because they looked kind of like ridiculously short loincloths, but when you fold them back through the crotch and button them, they cover more than a thong. But why couldn’t you just pull them down. O, right, we’re whores, and they provide access for sex.
Okay, and then there are these bands that hold the rags in place a bit, and yuck, there we are. I am holding her dirty rags. They are warm, and whatever trick there is for doing this without making a complete mess, I don’t know it. My hand is all wet and sticky. Annika sees me staring at clots captured in the center of the rags. She can tell I’m out of my depth. Her demeanor softens.
“Okay. You’ve gotten them out. I might have folded the new rags first and gotten them ready.”
“Where do I put these?”
“Ah right, there’s a reason I don’t do that at my desk.” She walks over to the wall and pulls open a hamper. There are used messies and a couple of rags that clearly haven’t been used for the same purpose as the ones in my hand. Ah, and in that pocket there, yeah, double yuck; that’s where they go.
“They clean these and you reuse them?” I do not completely hide my discomfort.
“Someone normally buys mine for magical workings. But yes any dirty laundry that no one wants gets cleaned and returned.”
“Um.”
I inexpertly fold the clean rags, and get them into place. Master Kessler doesn’t mind that I’ve doubtless gotten more blood on her undergarments than is necessary. She brings my hand to her mouth and kisses it. There’s a tingle and it is clean. “Hulda’s right; a bit of practice here is good.”
She rings a bell. The runner girl comes in. “Yes, Guild Master?”
“Ask the ISO Desk for two girls who are in the middle of their moon blood. Bill them to the current training class.”
The runner looks at me, eyes wide. She is already gone by the time I realize what sort of training she must think I am interested in.
In a few minutes two whores enter. One is a young commoner girl, well muscled and a couple of years older than Hulda. The other is a plump lady, dressed like a prosperous merchant.
“Ariel here needs some practice before her first moon blood. It’s different in the immortal world, so her confidant says.”
The two girls blush almost as much as I am. This is humiliating for all of us, and I begin to see the results.
“You might start by showing her how to fold and prepare the rags,” the guild master says.
As I’m working with the first girl, it’s clear she thinks my interest is more than hygienic. There’s embarrassment all around when I correct her. “Ah, well, ya get all sorts of talkin around things like that,” she says. “An ya gets to assuming a client talking round about something is right interested.”
“I assure you,” the guild master says, “I am quite capable of expressing erotic interest in any topic you can imagine without talking around it.”
“Yes Master,” the younger girl says, stuttering.
By the time I’m done with the lady, I’ve accomplished some proficiency in managing things without making a huge mess.
Then, at Hulda’s suggestion, I am subjected to a long conversation as everyone talks about the impact of their moon blood on their lives, and particularly on having sex as a whore.
By the end I’m sure I will die of embarrassment. Hulda’s right though: this is more primitive than the immortal world. I’m glad I’m prepared. I think I may just log out for a real day or so and avoid the whole mess.
It’s a miracle given how the last hour has gone, but with Hulda’s help I escape explaining how this all works in the immortal world to the two whores Annika called.
That … just wow. All three of them were able to offer their bodies without embarrassment even though there was no connection. It was entirely clinical. It was no big deal for them.
I guess that’s not entirely true: the young girl was humiliated enough. But even she was matter-of-fact about the experience and didn’t hesitate or try to hide herself.
I’m going to have to do that some day. Perhaps not about moon blood, although Hulda did talk about how that might happen. But it’ll be something. I don’t know if I can do that. No, I know I cannot do that now. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do that some day. I am in awe of the guild master: to be able to both be that clinical and to also be able to approach clients with connection … that’s something!
I run out to see if I can get over my blushing in time for brothel briefing.
There are several brothels, or at least several areas in the main
guild hall. The biggest is First Front, which is the front of the
first floor. It caters roughly to what an immortal might think a
whorehouse is like. Girls and guys dressed skimpy, wandering around
meeting clients. there’s more fondling the wenches than you’d see in
the immortal world. It’s not a strip club; there are no stripper poles or throbbing dance music.
There is an analog to lap dances though.
There is a stage. Mostly it’s used to line up whores when a client wants to choose between a number of girls.
The formal dining room is technically considered part of First Front. When we’re working First Front, we make rotations through there too. Well, those of us who meet the class standards for the formal dining room. That’s social class, not character class. As an immortal, I’m mostly outside of the social class system. I don’t think I’ll be whoring at the keep, but around here, I am a novelty and welcome anywhere. In contrast, Nora’s unlikely to see the formal dining room again any time soon.
While the rest of First Front has no formal class rules for the whores, it
is priced for immortals and upper class commoners. The decor and conservative rules on public sexual interaction support that. I can’t believe I’m describing lap dances and fondling as conservative, but after the training brothel and Roasted Pig, my standards have warped.
I am uncomfortable with how important class is in Berg’s Keep. And yet the Whores Guild is less class conscious than some other aspects of the city. For trainees, classes have been mixed freely. The same is not uncommon in member areas of the guild. But our clients care about class, and so we work with them. In First Front at least, the important question is whether you can act the part. Nora’s speech and approach will mean that she spends less time here. If Samantha can learn to fit in, the guild will permit her to do so.
I tour the pleasure rooms and bathing chambers. I am shown the manager’s station. The position was called Floor Manager at the training brothel. It’s more complicated here. By guild law, Floor Manager is the highest ranking manager working in a brothel building. So the Floor Manager coordinates all the areas—First Front, Manifest Fantasy, Uninhibited Liberation, and the rest. Each area has their own manager who handles most matters.
I am also shown the ISO Desk that the guild master mentioned. It’s a misnomer: there are several ISO desks; there’s one in First Front. The main ISO Desk is a room directly off the forecourt of the guild hall. The sign outside reads “In Search Of Anything: We Deliver.”
I wonder if that is where Oryst Darkblade asked for me.
I spend a while going over rules and procedures.
I was wildly off in understanding pricing for First Front. Here, even as a trainee, I’ll be charging two silver for most liaisons. Some of that is because I’m the only immortal whore. Most of that is because the main guild hall is expensive. The guild takes 70% because I’m a trainee. That will go down to 50% here once I become an apprentice and 40% once I become an artisan. Fees to the guild for work I do on my own are much lower.
At least at the main guild hall, there are magical communications devices that fit behind your ear. The managers and desk can coordinate where you are, track when you are done with a client, and know who is available. Also, whores can call for help. I gather they are expensive: we can only keep them when on shift.
I’ve just finished with Oryst Darkblade. The manager calls me to the desk. I had two clients before him, both immortals. Neither of them knew who I am. But they thought the idea of fucking an immortal whore sounded hot.
“What’s wrong?” the manager asks.
I’m confused. That should have been my line. “Nothing. Why did you call me?”
“Your last client said you didn’t seem like you were enjoying things. You were off. He gave you great reviews yesterday at lunch, but tonight … not so much.”
“I think … I don’t know. I’m not sure of anything. I’ll do better.”
He’s probably right. I got him off, but we didn’t really connect. At lunch, I was letting him try out something new—letting him push boundaries. This evening, I was just a whore.
“I’m taking you off shift. Take the time to figure out what it is and be at your best.”
“But I …” I actually don’t know what I want. Working at First Front has not been good. I walk up to people, flirt with them. Some want to fuck. I do. It’s been … or at least I’ve been emotionally detached.
The line ups are particularly bad. A client will know they want a whore. The manager calls several whores—typically girls— to strut our stuff and show off for the client to pick.
I don’t want to be thrown off shift. I’ve spent so much time preparing for this. I’ve risked so much of my emotional self. I do not want to fail.
“Come with me and let’s talk.” I turn to face Master Kessler as she walks in.
“How … why … are you here?”
“The manager called me.”
I start to cry. Failing is bad enough. But in front of Master Kessler! It’s almost more than I can take. She puts her hand on my shoulder. “Relax. I’ll take care of you.”
Having no other option, I hand over the communications stud and walk out with Master Kessler.
She steers us back past the pleasure rooms into the members section.
I end up in her office. I think she’s going to sit down at her desk, but instead she walks me past it.
We sit on a divan, her arm wrapped around me.
“You don’t need to be afraid or embarrassed.”
I am still crying. “It’s just you’ve doubted me … and there I am kicked out of my first real shift as a guild initiate.”
She sighs. “I am here as your trainer, here to make you the best whore you can be. I’m not judging you. I’m helping you. But if you need someone else—Florence, Bruce, Hulda—I’ll go get them.”
“No.”
“So how did your shift go?”
“It was fine … I guess.”
She takes a sharp intake of breath and two pieces of parchment appear in her hand. She glances down. “And when you helped those two immortal lovers in the training brothel, was that fine, or something more?”
“It was hot helping them get over their inhibitions.”
“So better than fine.”
I nod. “Yeah. It’s just …” and then it all starts to come out. “In your office, you and those other two girls were so clinical. Your bodies were there for me to practice on. There wasn’t any connection.
“And all day it’s been rules. Finger fucking Florence and Samantha so I could practice sex magic.
“And then rules this, rules that. Flirt in this room, fuck in that one. Run around, treat these clients well because they have a lot of money.
“And I’m standing there in a line with a couple of other girls so this client can decide which one he likes. He takes me off to a room, I get him hard and he fucks. We hardly talk.” I’m still crying some. She hands me a handkerchief.
“Thanks. I guess it’s just that before, I have felt a connection with my clients. I was helping them with something. Even the guy who threw me down on the mat in the training brothel … that was refreshingly simple and I felt respected.”
“And you didn’t today?” Master Kessler is warm next to me. She is rubbing my back as I calm down.
“Not really?” I’m not sure. “I don’t know that I connected enough to know for sure. Today was just all so much about the sex acts and so little about the people. And I don’t just want to be a sex act for someone.”
“Of course not. None of us do.”
She continues, “So was it special for your clients? What were they there for?”
“I don’t know.”
“Not even the last one?” There’s a tingle of electricity in the air. “Darkblade? Was it bad with him over lunch?”
“Not really … no it was good. I helped him try out something he had always wanted to try. He was excited to be with me.”
“But tonight?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did you do anything to try and find out?”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry.” My tears fall faster.
“Oh, Ariel. Taking this long to have a day like this is unusual enough. Part of your training is to learn how to deal with days like today, but we can’t teach you until it happens.”
“I’m not the only one?”
She laughs. “Honey, no.”
“You … are a lot nicer as a trainer.”
“Thank you.”
She looks at me. “What do you need right now?”
“I’d like to calm down … like to get somewhere I can understand what I’m feeling.”
“Would a warm bath help?”
“Yes actually.”
And so I find myself in one of the bathing chambers with the guild master washing me.
I am starting to relax between the warm water and her hands on my back.
I didn’t realize how tense I was—how much I had curled up into my own shell—until I start to feel better.
What has my world come to? I didn’t even think it odd that I’d bathe naked with my boss. I was a little surprised, but only that she would take such an interest in me.
We hug but it is not sexual.
Now we are sitting on a bench next to the bathing pool. “I am feeling better,” I say.
“Are you ready to talk about how to feel good while whoring?”
I nod.
The guild master asks, “So, when you have felt good, what were some of the best parts?”
“Trying something new—pushing my limits. That’s good. Helping someone else push their limits has been really hot.”
“And you thought there was none of that in my office, showing you about moon blood?”
“You were all so clinical about it—showing me, standing there, letting me clean you up.”
“Would it have been easier if we had been all turned on?”
“No! It was hard enough as is.”
“Aye, an we all knew that. Sometimes the connection is within you as the whore. I stood there letting you take your own time, no judgments, no shame. My body was there to help you understand. It might not be sexy, but giving someone space to learn from you and your body can be powerful for the whore.”
She continues, “You recognized it wasn’t easy to just be clinical like that, didn’t you?”
“O, fuck yes.”
“We all knew that. We all knew you saw that as big.”
What she said made sense. Hulda has done that for me several times. And Goody Brown! Talking about her experiences being raped is one of the most powerful things anyone has ever done for me. I might not be ready to do what they did, but Annika has helped me see that they were giving me something big. It isn’t that they just had turned everything into mechanical sex acts: they were giving me space to use their bodies to understand my own without making it more intimate than I could handle.
“I’m still left trying to understand my clients,” I say.
She nods. “Sometimes I find myself asking what a client would need to do in order to be awesome. What would they need to think? What would they need to be hoping for? Can you find those answers for Darkblade?”
I take a few minutes to think. “He follows my stream in the immortal world. He knows who I am; he was excited to hire me. He wants to be part of that. At lunch he was trying something new. If he were an immortal wanting to be comfortable with his fantasies and be comfortable sharing them, I’d get behind that.”
She shifts to gaze at me. “When I am with a client, I try and come up with a story like that. Imagine this person is a client I’m interested in working with. And I tell myself that story.”
“What if it is not true?”
“What if something even bigger—even better is true? Sometimes you don’t know. Probably sometimes the story is only alive inside your mind. But think of Hulda’s reaction to you. There was this girl, so shy she could hardly ask for anything.”
“How do you know that?”
“Relax. Hulda and I got to chatting while waiting for you to come over from the training brothel.”
She continues, “Helping out the shy client is a common enough story. And that was good enough for Goodwench Brown. But your story is so much bigger: the girl who would change the world and bring whoring to the immortals.”
“I didn’t think you were sure that is a good story.”
She looks at me, head tilted, resting against her hand. It takes her
several breaths to collect her thoughts. “I don’t know how this will
turn out. I still care about protecting the guild; I begin to see
that you do too. As for you though: You are different than an
ephemeral … different not bad. And the Whores Guild has always
embraced different.”
“Thank you.” I shake my shoulders releasing tension. “But back to clients and their stories. So you just go forward not caring if the story you’ve found is true?”
“Of course it’s more complicated than that. You talk to them. Sometimes even about the story you’ve found. Sometimes you find it true. Sometimes you find something else.
“That works often … even most of the time. But don’t be afraid to turn down a client or even go off shift if you are not feeling it.
“But my main point is there’s a lot of good in people and how they approach their lust. We work to remember that overall good even when we cannot find it in an individual client. We also work to tease out the good in each individual client and bring it forward. For most of us, that’s enough connection to whore with pride.”
“That sounds hard; how do I learn to do it?”
She grins at me. “Want to go whoring together and practice?”
“That … I’d really like that.” I burst out laughing. I just agreed
to go on a date fucking other people with my boss, and I didn’t even
think it was strange. What has my world come to? Okay, perhaps more
a job than a date. But there will be a social aspect to this; some
time for Master Kessler and me to work together. So if not quite a
date, at least a team-building exercise. I can go fucking with my
boss with no problem but I get all messed up because some random
stranger doesn’t have a lot to say before we have sex.
I know it’s more complex than that; I understand the subtlety. But Annika’s got one thing right: this is different.
“My recommendation is that you’ve had a long enough day. How about we get together tomorrow?” she says.
I look at the time. She’s right. I actually have my second fan chat upcoming, and I’d like to take a bit of time to prepare for that.
“I appreciate that you are offering so much time to help me out. Your plan sounds good.”
“Until then.”
I return to the training brothel and log out.