VII
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Arc VII Chapter 17
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19th Aqua Solar XI AAC 753
“... ... ...” Aurora and her doll halted after arriving at a minor square. Both of their eyes peered around, darting from left to right, right to left, and left to right. The afternoon sunlight glinted off the polished cobblestone beneath their feet. The strikes of hammers and anvils, the rhythm of bellows, the sharp quenching sound of steam and vapour echoed across the streets. The smell of coal and charred wood hang in the air.
Her doll and she had successfully located the smithing quarters, and yet no alchemy shop was anywhere to be found. How mysterious. Despite their best efforts, the mysterious shop in question continued to elude them.
In fact, the alleys. The streets. The square. The fountain in the middle of it. The workshops. The forges. The signboards. Even the tavern further ahead. All of these felt and looked decisively familiar, and not necessarily in a good way. They had been here before. Quite recently, in fact. They had passed through hardly a few minutes ago. And now they were here once again. Like the time before. And the other time before. And the other, other time before. And, not to mention, the time before that. The only problem was that such was hardly intentional on their part. Logically speaking, all of this could mean only one thing ...
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Dollrora raised her gaze, her head tilted with a certain sense of helplessness, being equally at a loss. Her voice echoed through her mind. “Aurora, I think that we might have perhaps, theoretically, possibly got lost ... I might be wrong, but I do not think that this is the right way.”
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“...” Aurora was forced to agree after some consideration. “I would say that ... you are probably right ... This is not the right way.” All available evidence pointed towards the fact of them ending up getting lost. There was no doubt, they had been here before, which implied that they were probably running around in circles for quite some time. The latter was hardly surprising, considering the Byzantine nature of this place. All the narrow streets and alleys running hither and thither, from left to right, and left to right, in every possible direction, without the slightest apparent purpose. The entire place was a veritable labyrinth. No wonder that a little girl and her doll had got hopelessly lost as a result.
Little Aurora looked at her, waving her petite arms. “You know, maybe we should go asking someone for directions?”
“You think so?” Aurora grumbled at her doll, still mostly annoyed and disgruntled.
Little Aurora nodded vigorously, her fists clenched, and her eyes filled with the hope of a little girl. “Yes, I am sure that one of the locals will be able to help us! After all, they live and work here. They must know the place well. Ergo, they will surely be able to tell us where we need to go and how to get there. At least, I hope so.”
“...” Aurora rubbed her chin. Her words had merit. Her arguments were fairly persuasive, albeit asking for mere directions was far beneath her dignity. It would be an admission of defeat in the face of poor urban planning. Such a proposition was unacceptable. Nevertheless, the lack of viable alternatives meant that she was left with little choice.
“Hmm, I guess, you are right ...” Aurora conceded, albeit only grudgingly. Not that she had a better idea. “Now, whom should we ask then?”
Little Aurora raised her tiny arm, pointing ahead. “What about them? We could try asking one of the women over there. They look as if they could help us.”
Aurora followed her doll’s gaze. Her eyes fell on the three graces in question. There were three of them, their figures leaning against the wall behind them. The women were fairly young, hardly what could be considered old even by the more stringent standards of this time and age. What elicited her attention, however, was their abundant use of rouge, eyeliner, and lipstick, which was not fairly conspicuous to her, but to all passersby.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
The trio was standing outside, in the middle of the cold street, smiling and waving at their potential customers with as much female charm as they could muster. All while being scantily clad in a rather revealing and suggestive manner. Their skin, their thighs, their backs lay exposed, and yet much more was promised. Their tight fabric clung to their every curve, accentuating their ample bosoms, which they were eager to display to the public.
Behind them, rose a building, its walls painted crimson red. A wooden board was placed above the door, with a half draped maiden resting on her exposed back and a set of gilt letters. Apparently, this was the ‘House of Joy’. The name was all too fitting considering the likely purpose of the establishment.
Always eager, little Aurora elaborated, “Or maybe we should go inside there. The place appears to be well frequented. It seems that they have lots of customers. I am sure that someone inside would be able to help us.”
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“...” Armed with a blank stare of utter consternation and a raised eyebrow, Aurora turned once more to her somewhat naive friend and doll. Was she really serious? “Wait a moment, just to be sure that we do not have any misunderstandings here, you want me, or to be more precise, us to enter the place and ask the people inside there for directions? Are you serious?”
Little Aurora looked at her, her head tilted in confusion. “I do not follow. Why would I not be serious?”
“... ... ...” Aurora merely stared at her doll, blinking in disbelief. The girl had no idea, did she?
Aurora cleared her throat, “Ahem, listen. How should I put this, do you have any idea what this place is?”
Her words gave her little Aurora pause, making her reconsider for a moment. Her doll tilted her head. “Hmm, well, it seems to be some sort of house of joy. Which is quite a curious name now that I think about it. I suppose that they must have plenty of fun inside there.” Technically speaking, they did. They had fun, fun of a certain kind. Especially, the male populace.
“... ... ...” Aurora had fallen silent. Her boring stare continued undiminished. It was as expected. As it turned out, her sheltered doll of a girl was inexperienced when it came to the matters of the real world.
Little Aurora puffed up her cheeks, slightly offended by her continuous stare. “Hey, why do you keep gawking at me? Have I said something wrong?”
“Not necessarily ...” Aurora paused for a moment. “That being said, I gather that you do not know what this place is, right?”
Little Aurora fidgeted, but she eventually conceded, “Well, if you put it like that, I guess, I do not. Does it matter, though?”
“It depends.” Aurora beamed innocently before leaning closer, her lips pressed directly against her doll’s ears. Her voice whispered. “Shh ... shh ... ssshhh ... pss ... shh ... srr ... shh ... sss ... hush ... pff ... shhh ... sss ... pss ... shh ... hssh ... ssshhh ... pss ... shh ... hush ... srr ... sss ... shh ... pss ... shhh ... sff ... hush ... shh ... sss ... pss ... hssh ... shhh ... ssshhh ... pff ... shh ... hush ... srr ... sss ... shh ... pss ... shhh ... hush ... sss ... shh ... pss ... sff ... shhh ... hush ... ssshhh ... shh ...” The effect was immediate.
Much as expected, little Aurora’s pristine porcelain face suddenly started to grow exceedingly pale, accompanied by the faint blushing red of her cheeks. With each word spoken, her beloved doll fell quieter.
“...” Little Aurora stuttered, her gaze fixed at her. “You mean to tell me ... that ...”
Aurora leaned closer once more. “Pss ... shh ... hssh ... pff ... srr ... shhh ... hush ... sss ... pss ... shh ... sff ... ssshhh ... hssh ... shh ... pss ... srr ... hush ... shhh ... pff ... sss ... shh ... pss ... ssshhh ... sff ... hssh ... shh ... hush ... srr ... pss ... shhh ... sss ... pff ... shh ...”
Little Aurora fidgeted with her cute little hands, her cheeks tinted red. “So that means that they ...”
Once more, Aurora leaned closer. “Pss ... shh ... hssh ... pff ... srr ... shhh ... hush ... sss ... pss ... shh ... sff ... ssshhh ... hssh ... shh ... pss ... srr ... hush ... shhh ... pff ... sss ... shh ... pss ... ssshhh ... sff ... hssh ... shh ... hush ... srr ... pss ... shhh ... sss ... pff ... shh ...”
Her beloved doll shook her head, profoundly shaken. Her blush intensified. “And you mean that they have ...”
“Hush ... sss ... pff ... shh ... ssshhh ... srr ... shhh ... hssh ... pss ... sff ... shh ... sss ... hush ... ssshhh ... pss ... shhh ... hssh ... srr ... shh ... pff ... sss ... shh ... ssshhh ... hush ... sff ... pss ... shhh ... srr ... sss ... shh ... hssh ... hush ... pff ... ssshhh ... shh ... sss ... srr ... shhh ... pss ... sff ...”
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No word was spoken as the climate of embarrassment and shame persisted. Her doll had evidently learned her lesson.
Aurora smiled with innocence and a certain degree of schadenfreude. “Do I need to say more~? Do you want to hear more details about their particular line of work~?”
Little Aurora was quick to shake her head, her tiny clenched fists held tightly to her chest. Her entire face still crimson red like a ripe late summer cherry. The embarrassment was perfect. Her only wish right now was to disappear and vanish into thin air. “No, no, no, that was enough ... information. Far more than necessary.” Her doll shivered, cearly uncomfortable with the entire situation. “I was unaware that places such as these existed ... It might indeed be inappropriate to inquire there ... I guess that we need to turn to somewhere else instead.”
Aurora seconded her opinion. It was something they could agree upon. A brothel was not necessarily a place to be for a little girl and her doll. Now where should they go ...
Aurora’s ears pricked up, her attention piqued. There was a voice. A male voice. It came from a nearby alley, half between the peddler and the whitesmith.
“Wait! Wait, wait, wait! Please! Just another week! Just one more! We just need some time! Trust me, Master is going to pay you! Promised!” There was panic in his voice, even hints of what might be called fear.
Aurora and her doll, they both looked at each other with their eyebrows furrowed. What was going on there?
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