In the days that followed her first night as part of the regular line-up, Clara managed to adapt to the sordid culture of the club at a speed that surprised even herself. Kadjia never pressured the former farm girl into going beyond a level she felt uncomfortable with, allowing Clara to gradually adapt to the needs and desires of the clientele at her own speed, relying on the veterans of the establishment to build up her willingness to let go of her hesitation. Clara grew bolder, settling in to the point where it seemed as if she always belonged amongst the other girls, taking on more paying clients as she progressed.
Clara quickly found herself getting into the rhythm of The Mare, emulating Scarlett to the best of her ability, whilst also carving out an identity for herself so she didn't need to rely on her status as the latest entry to attract attention from prospective clients. During the first few days, she chose to remain within the confines of the brothel, either getting her room back into an acceptable shape for the following night of ruthless fucking, or doing her best to socialise with the other working girls. Other than Margot and Scarlett, she quickly built friendships with two girls that came from a similar background as she did, hailing from the various farmlands and food mills that surrounded the sprawling city.
Sereya, a short, dusky haired woman just shy of twenty-five came from a devout religious family. She had spent most of her early life adhering to the practices of her family, bottling up any desire she had when it came to expressing herself, both in appearance and promiscuity. Unlike Clara, Sereya had been far more willing to seek out any men around her village that caught her eye, dragging them into the cheapest inns to get her fix.
Once she came of age, Sereya fled her family home and set her sights on the city that had become part of her most debauched fantasies, despite her parents doing their best to depict the city as a haven of degeneracy and corruption, driven by their hatred for the metropolis. Such warnings only made Hichin's city all the more tantalising. She was finally able to explore her sexuality without restraint, free to be as provocative as she wanted without being persistently warned about the dangers of her sinful ways. Joining The Tempered Mare enabled her to do exactly that, whilst being able to earn a comfortable income in the process.
L'indrill's presence surprised Clara the most. She was an elf, possessing the beautiful golden hair and unblemished alabaster skin synonymous with her people. Her body could make any woman envious, her tall, slender frame provided her with an ethereal appearance that always drew the eyes of the club's patrons to her, showcasing an effortless beauty capable of stirring the loins of any red blooded man, regardless of their species. At the age of forty-two -- young for her species -- she had double the living experience of Clara, yet she too found herself drawn to the brothel. Unlike the other girls, L'indrill had not become a brothel worker out of necessity, nor from a need to rebel from the arrogant ways of elvin society. She chose to work at the brothel as a 'proactive observer', wanting to experience and research the lust of the other races in a way no member of her species had ever done before, building up a scientific journal that would be ready for the day she made her return to the well hidden elvin homeland.
By the end of her first week, having been subject to a wide variety of sexual partners, with some being more vigorous in their performance, and others being content to allow her to do most of the heavy lifting, Scarlett had finally managed to convince Clara to explore the wider city with her. It took some effort, largely due to Clara's fears of the bustling streets, constantly reminded of the dangers she had been warned about on the day of her arrival. But Scarlett's coaxing eventually wore down Clara's concerns, convincing her to venture beyond the old docklands.
A hot summer's morning brought out the denizens of the city in their thousands, market stalls lined the main square, various species packed out the streets to the point where a simple journey became an uphill battle. Scarlett was born and raised within the walls of the cultural hub, few knew how to navigate the cobbled roads better than her, and even fewer were able to switch from sultry temptress to unyielding force of nature with such ease when it came to forcing her way through blockades in the roads.
The pair were dressed in outfits far more conservative compared to what they wore during their shifts in the brothel, though the clothes still did show a decent enough amount of flesh to catch the wandering eyes of the men they passed. Clara's yellow silk gown was by far the more tasteful, only showing off the bare minimum that she felt comfortable with in public, with a pair of slits running from her thighs to her ankles displaying her pale legs, something that earned her more than a few unexpected gropes by passers by.
Being the more seasoned, Scarlett chose to wear a strapless silk red gown, complete with a slit at the very front which did little to hide her legs from the thighs down. A 'V' shaped plunge displayed her defined collarbones and a healthy amount of cleavage. A gold anklet that had been gifted to her by an extraordinarily wealthy client stood out against her pale skin. Her vermilion hair had been pinned by a trio of metal ringlets, allowing her tresses to sit across her shoulder. In contrast to Clara's visible discomfort, caused by the wave of intense stares that came their way wherever they went, Scarlett practically bathed
in the attention, providing those lucky enough with an inviting wink, urging them to pay her a personal visit at The Mare.
They both wore the crystalline heels that instantly marked them as members of the city's ever expanding sex trade. The provocative footwear lifted them six inches off the ground, making them more than visible amongst the undulating crowds that packed out the markets. Before leaving The Mare, Kadjia had supplied them with a set of turquoise bands to wear around their forearms, a piece of jewellery she had spent years marketing around Hichin, using her girls as walking advertisements for her brothel.
Scarlett showed off her deep knowledge of the city by leading the way through the back alleys and underpasses that would help them to avoid the bulk of the market goers, though they still found themselves bumping into certain shady figures that preferred to remain out of sight of the guards that roamed the streets. A handsy goblin did his best to convince at least one of them to give him a quickie behind one of the local alchemy stores, but neither took the offer, though Scarlett took some delight in brushing her fingertips teasingly across the tent sticking out from his leather loincloth. They dashed across a set of uneven cobblestones until they exited through a low red brick archway, bringing them directly into the densely market area, filling their senses with bright colours and the scent of dozens of different food stalls.
"So, are you looking for anything in particular?" Scarlett asked, winking at a group of men that clearly recognised the distinctive band running along her arm. "You can find anything around here, the vendors come from all across the continent."
Clara shook her head, still lacking the unrestrained confidence that her red haired friend seemed to possess an infinite quantity of. "I'm saving up everything I earn to send back to my family."
Scarlett hooked her pale arm around Clara's and brought her over to the section of the market dominated by antique furniture dealers and decorative items household trinkets. "Come on, Clara. You'll have plenty of time to send coins back to your family, and plenty of men willing to provide you with them. As nice as your bedroom may be, its still very much within the boundaries of Kadjia's taste. You need to decorate it the way you want if you want it to feel like home, you're going to be living there for a good while. Come on, think of anything you want and we'll try to find it."
