It's a Trap!

The moment she stepped through the doorway, Ava couldn't help but frown. The entire building seemed to be covered with an unpleasant musk of sweat that was scarcely covered by a heavy perfume. If that was it, perhaps Ava wouldn't have minded it much, she had smelled far worse after all, but the entire building seemed to be covered in a hot summer haze, forming a sharp contrast to the chill just outside the door.

Turning around, Lily couldn't help but see Ava's look and let out a laugh, "Sorry, I should have given you a warning. Everyone is like that their first time inside. I'd say you get used to it, but…" Pulling a face, Lily let out a pout, "Always hits me hard when I walk back in. Doesn't seem to bother the other girls as much, though. It'll be better when we get upstairs. Promise."

Letting out a curt nod, Ava couldn't help but let her eyes wander, simultaneously evaluating the place while scanning the building for possible escape routes. She had heard of prostitution houses before, and there was a ramshackle place back in the Village that served a similar purpose, but it could hardly be compared. Seeing the rather flamboyant colors and sweltering atmosphere, she couldn't say she had a good impression thus far.

As they walked, they eventually passed a draped curtain blocking a doorway, and Ava couldn't help but peek her eyes through to see if there was another exit. A curtain wasn't a bad option. After all, with her height, she could see through much easier than most and wouldn't even have to worry about getting caught and could simply breeze through as she was turning her head to look, however. Lily came over and tried to block her eyes.

Retaliating, Ava first pushed away Lily's arms before pulling out her knife again and keeping it in front of her, keeping a wary watch on Lily's posture, ready to react to any movements she might make. It seemed she had over-evaluated Lily. In the end, it was still a trap.

Holding both of her hands in a spot where Ava could see them, Lily let out a slight blush and coughed, "Erm, that's where the… work is done."

Tilting her head, Ava looked at Lily, "So?"

"Well, you're still a kid, so…"

Thinking for a moment, Ava realized what Lily was implying and lowered her knife while shaking her head, "I've seen far worse. You don't need to hide that from me."

Thinking for a moment, Lily bit her lip and disagreed, "Well, either way, you shouldn't look."

After a moment, Ava nodded her head in agreement. In either case, she was only planning to be here for a day or two. As a guest, if the host didn't want her to look, she simply wouldn't look. In the brief glance earlier, she had confirmed that there wasn't anything special back there, and it was, as Lily had said, simply where the business took place.

Following Lily, they continued down the hallway and passed another door, "Hey Sasha, have a guest, bringing her up to use a room for a couple of days, room five okay?"

From inside the door, in what seemed like a small kitchen, a middle-sized woman wearing an apron leaning over a cooktop looked over and said, "I think the sheets in room five might be dirty, try the first room to the left on the third floor. I'll mark it as occupied for you when I get a moment."

"Alright. Thanks, Sash! You're the best."

Following Lily, Ava couldn't help but hesitate again. If they were going to the third floor, it would be much harder to exit the building should anything go wrong. As she was reconsidering, Lily's voice broke her train of thought, "That's Sasha. She used to work the floor a couple of years ago but really didn't like it and asked the Madam if she could just work as a cook instead. Thank the Goddess the Madam said yes, she's been a blessing for all of our tongues. You have to try her roast banana pork. It's to die for."

From behind, Ava simply let out a nod and took a glance back at the kitchen and saw Sasha crossing the room and grabbing what looked like a tomato before heading back to the cooktop. Turning her eyes back forward, Ava sighed and stopped hesitating. Anyways, she had already lost the best opportunity to escape if she wanted to. She might as well see it to the end. Anyways, looking at how soft and pudgy everyone here was, she doubted they'd be able to hold up if push came to shove.

Following Lily, Ava walked up two flights of stairs, and she couldn't help but stop as they were halfway up the second flight.

Turning around, Lily couldn't help but ask, "Something wrong? Err, I never asked your name, actually."

Looking out the window, Ava took one last glance before turning back towards Lily and gesturing for her to continue, "Ava." After a short pause, she said, "I've never looked out a window this high before."

Startled, Lily thought for a moment before a smile formed on her face, "It's cool, isn't it? Totally different from standing on a hill. I'll bring you over to the watchtower someday. I know a fella. The view is much better than ours."

Silent, Ava nodded.

Crossing the last set of stairs, Lily went over to the first door to the left and pushed it open, and stepped inside, gesturing for Ava to follow her. Stepping inside, Ava found a lightly adorned room with a large bed and a small adjoined room with a basic bathroom. Looking around and confirming the room was fresh, Lily smiled and said, "If you want, I can help you draw a bath, although I might need some help bringing the water to your room. Otherwise, we can go over to the communal bathroom." Looking at Ava, she added, "I can help you soap up and fix your hair a little if you want me to help too."

Scratching her head, Lily said, "If you need any more blankets or pillows, let me or Sasha know. If you can't find us just ask one of the girls and they can probably help you too. Um… what else."

Thinking for a moment, Lily looked around and slapped her head, "Ah, right." Reaching behind her to close the door, she picked up a key that was hung on a hook. "This is the key to the room. The only other copy is with the Madam, and there's a deadbolt, too, so you don't have to worry about someone entering."