Lilith took up a lean against the low wall surrounding the Deja House. Arms crossed over her chest, a single case of Zeppa at her feet, she waited patiently for Alex to turn a color other than green. Her voice was soft, sympathetic when she spoke. ?You alright? I?m sorry. I?m not very good at shielding people through the Tears yet. It?s rough, when you?re human.? Pushing off of the wall, she closed the distance between them and offered a hand, helping Alex to his feet. ?You look better. Grab that case and let?s head on inside.?

Leading the way, Lilith moved with purpose up the stairs and into the main room. Gesturing to Alex, she continued to the bar. Alex followed, settling the case of soda onto the bar top. His eyes all but jumped out of his face when he noticed the tendress standing behind, almost skyclad for lack of clothing. When he looked around, his eyes widened even more when he saw the servers walking around, and the various couples littered around the room. It was like a little light bulb going off with a subtly audible ?click?.

A gentle tap on Lilith?s shoulder became more urgent as it went unnoticed. Alex?s voice was conspiratorial; a whisper. ?Ms. DeBrough, are you sure this is the right place? This is, um, it?s a brothel.? The last word was almost inaudible in his attempt at being discreet. Too bad the majority of patrons had hearing better than that of most predators in the animal kingdom. The fluid motion of nearly every head in the room turning to look at Alex would have been comical, if this were a movie. But it wasn?t.

Lilith gave a heavy sigh and waved a bit over-enthusiastically to the room at large. ?Sorry. Next round is on me.? A glare tossed towards Alex as she pushed him rather roughly onto a barstool. Her voice was hushed, but no less harsh for it. ?Just?wait here. Don?t touch anyth?anyone.? If they found out he was a human, or Docile as they were called here, they would swarm him. They were something of a spectacle to the Deja women, for reasons unknown.

Sliding two bottles from the case, Lilith weaved her way through the room of bodies, heading towards the stairs. A glance back over her shoulder made her groan softly. Alex was leaning over the bar, charming the tendress. Or was it the other way around? A soft sigh and she turned back towards the stairs, moving upwards towards Della?s office. What would she find when she came back down?

Della greeted Lilith at the doorway to her office and ushered her inside, closing the door behind them. ?Have a seat, please.? Moving around the desk to the other side, the courtesan settled delicately into her chair. A picture of posture perfected; each movement was a sensual dance.

Lilith shifted in her seat a little uncomfortably before bowing her head in a sign of respect. ?Lady Wolfsbane.?

Della returned the nod with a look of mild surprise. ?Lady DeBrough. You afford me a show of respect that does not fit a woman in my position.?

Lilith looked up at the courtesan, a faint smile on her face. ?You have more power than most who hold a seat on the Council. Pity they don?t realize that.?

?Pity me if they ever do.? A light shone in Della?s eyes at that. ?I heard you turned down such a seat recently.? A hand rose to stop Lilith from responding. ?I also heard about your family. My condolences.?

?Thank you.? Lilith shifted in her seat again, a gentle clearing of her throat.

?But of course, that?s not why you?re here.? Della spread her hands out, palms upwards in a questioning gesture. ?What do you have for me, Lilith??

Lilith said nothing, just extended a hand. Palm outstretched towards the courtesan patiently.


Della sighed and produced a small amount of the ground leaf, which she settled into the center of Lilith?s palm. ?You are too smart for your own good sometimes. You understand more than people give you credit for, don?t you??

Lilith just stayed silent, sprinkling the drug into Della?s glass. ?Maybe. Give it a swirl.?

Della did as she was told, and her blue eyes widened as she saw the liquid swirl into a very dark color, a close kin to black.

Lilith sat back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. ?I thought it might do that. I had an incident with some Elysium and some other soda a couple of years back. Same thing happened. It makes it very hard to get that past someone unnoticed, don?t you think??

Della was obviously impressed. ?And how much will this little venture cost me??

?Well, my boss is asking for $3600 per flat. That?s 100 cases, 48 bottles each. In your monetary system?? Lilith grabbed a quill and scribbled a few figures on the closest sheet of paper, then turned it so Della could see the end result. ??that?s how much per flat.?

Della gave a nod, setting the glass in her hand down on the desk and sliding it away from herself. ?I see.? She appeared to be doing some math in her head. ?I?ll take enough for two seasons, and we?ll see from there. Two cases per House per night ought to suffice. I can let you know if I run out sooner, right??

?Of course.? Lilith slid the paper back towards herself, and did a little rough math to calculate how much she would need. ?How many Deja Houses do you have now?? The quill paused in its scribbles.

?One hundred and seven, at last count. Sex is a very popular commodity, especially during hard times. No pun intended.?

The pen continued to scribble furiously. ?So ?that comes to six hundred and forty-two flats. Want to make it an even six fifty?? Violet eyes were dancing, hopeful as she looked towards the courtesan.

?Sure, Lilith. I need something to spend all of these excess marks on anyways.? Della had always liked the halfbreed. Her brother had been a very kind Guardian, and they had even had a fling for a while. But Guardians don?t settle down, and neither do courtesans. They had been a good match, for a while.

With a smile that would reach a blind man, Lilith pulled some paperwork from the folds of her jacket, settling it in front of Della and pointing to various spots on it. ?Standard purchaser?s contract, or so I?m told. This is where you fill in the number of flats, price goes here, and sign?down here. I turn this in to the distribution people and delivery follows.? As if reciting from a DeMuer Exports manual, if there was such an animal.

Della laughed and filled in the blanks with her careful penmanship. ?You would have made a fine courtesan, Lilith. Let me know if you ever get bored with your current position, and we can work something out.? She signed her name with a flourish.

Lilith gave a gentle shake of her head. ?No, thank you. I?d kill half the clients that came my way. I have no patience.? Gathering up the paperwork, she tucked it back into her jacket, and rose, sticking her hand out. ?I thank you, Lady Della. I think this will be a very profitable arrangement, for both of us.?

Della gave a soft snort at the extended hand and rose, circling the desk to wrap Lilith in her arms for a tight hug. Releasing her after a moment, she held the halfbreed at arm?s length, a hand on each shoulder. ?Take care of yourself, Lilith.? A slight hesitation. ?Quinn has been by to see me a few times since you went missing. He will know you were here. You cannot hide anything from a Mind-Guardian Lilith. If he should ask after you, what do I tell him??

Lilith sighed heavily. Could she ever return here without having that topic surface? Were they really that much of a spectacle, that everyone knew? ?Tell him the truth. That I?m well, and happy. I know you can?t help it if he makes you tell him, but if you have a choice, keep where I?m staying out of it. Please, Della.? Lilith?s voice was tired, and somewhat pained.

?Of course, Lilith. I wouldn?t want to cause you pain.? A sigh as she brushed her hands together. ?Well, then. I?ll see you out.?

Lilith lead the way downstairs, stopping short when she reached the common room. Alex was leaning back on a chaise lounge with no less than six girls draped over and around him. Their limbs were a mass of skin, and Alex had a very dopey smile on his face. Thankfully, he was still fully clothed. ?Oh for Darkness? sake, Alex. Have some self control.? Lilith tried to keep a straight face, but ended up laughing anyways, hearing Della join in.

After she had quieted, she adopted a more serious look, this time addressing the women. ?Alright, off now. We have to be going.? Violet eyes watched with humor sparkling in them as the women peeled themselves off of Alex. Rough gig, being her bodyguard. The thought almost made her snicker. After he was back on his feet, Lilith grabbed his forearm with a stronger grip than it looked like she would have. A polite nod to the room, and a smile for Della. ?The two cases on the bar top are on me. Darkness keep you, Lady Wolfsbane.?

Della nodded. ?You as well, Lady DeBrough.? The room watched the exchange in silence, and all eyes were on Lilith?s back as she ushered Alex out into the bright glare of the sun.