[Solo][Courtesan] Fitting In

[Deleted]

The sun was high, the winds were strong; the city was alive, the birds tweeted a song. Londinium was a beautiful place, and while the lack of modern - or in the case of the Unfounded Kingdom's current level of technology, future - industrialization made commerce and craft a bit more difficult and far more time consuming, Dumah did not care one bit. The skies were clear and the rivers ran clean. Nature was not at the mercy of the industrial greed of man, and the beautifully clean world complimented the magnificent architecture of medieval times. When one looked at and compared old styles of architecture to the modern day practical style, the differences were black and white. Dumah was glad to no longer have to deal with the bland, generic, boring architecture of the twenty-first century. Dumah enjoyed taking these walks through the town, they were very relaxing and soothing - a magnificent way to start a day. However, beautiful as the city may be, Dumah had not been able to enjoy his favorite sight to behold in his walks: The people. Many rumors had spread soon after Dumah purchased the Cathedral to serve as Noihara's own guildhall. Even as he walked around town, the guild master could feel piercing stares focused on him. Thanks to his Hearing Aptitude skill, he could hear a few whispers as well. "Look, it's Dumah..." "Ugh, not that guy..." "I don't trust the dude, I mean, dude bought the Cathedral..." Dumah quickly hastened his pace, rushing a bit through his walk and returning to the Cathedral.

[Deleted]

The Swashbuckler almost immediately went to the best place in the entire guildhall for rest and relaxation, where a man could be surrounded by friend, food and drink. As he opened the large doors leading into the tavern, Dumah noticed his friend reading a slip of paper. A recipe, perhaps? Maybe a note? Regardless of what he was reading, it barely mattered. Dumah walked to the newly polished and cleaned bar and sat at the counter. "What are you reading Federico?"



The Person of The Land put the sheet into his pocket casually and lightly smiled at his friend. "So I guess it's Federico this week, is it?" He began to prepare ingredients and such for mixing a drink, having known Dumah for quite some time he had come to learn of his taste for sweet drinks, often mixing fruit juices into his friend's beverages. "I wasn't reading anything important, just a letter from a friend. You seem down, Dumah, the rumors gettin' to you again? I keep tellin' you to just ignore them. Not like listening will do you much good."



Dumah sighed a bit as his friend had hit the nail right on the head. "I cannot even take my morning walks without being gossiped about. I am starting to regret taking the Hearing Aptitude skill..." As Dumah finished this sentence, he was handed a glass filled with a drink that was in itself a mesmerizing mixture and display of many colors. Dumah took the drink and solemnly thanked the bar's owner for the beverage before sipping it and lightly smacking his lips repeatedly. "That's very well made, quite a sweet blend Federico." He took another sip of the drink, repeating his process of sipping, smacking his lips to savor the taste, and feeling very grateful to have such a skilled drink mixer as his friend. "I just wish I did not attract the eyes of every skeptical or pessimistic Adventurer in Londinium..."



"Y'know, I may actually be able to help you if you want to learn how to blend in."



Dumah had a somewhat disappointed expression on his face, laughing dryly. "Hah-haaah, 'blending in,' like blending and mixing drinks, I get it..."



The barkeep laughed a bit. "Actually, the pun wasn't intended, but I'll definitely write that one down!"



"So how can you help me? Invisibility cloak? Appearance changing drink?"



"A friend."



"A friend?" Dumah seemed a bit curious as to this answer.



"I'm friends with this lady who just recently moved to Londinium."



"Where did she move from?" Dumah took another sip of his drink.



"She just moved here from Firenzito."



Dumah spit his drink out, choking from the shock and surprise of hearing she had come from Firenzito. He had read up on some of the geography of what was Europe in the old world, and Firenzito was what was once known as Florence - or in Italian, Firenze - a major city in Italy. "F-Firenzito?!"



"She was the head of a brothel, she offered a home to many unfortunate women in far worse cases. Now," Federico reached into his pocket, retrieving the letter he had stashed away, giving it to Dumah so he could use the return address to locate the woman. "she has brought her benevolence all the way to Londinium. She leads a brothel here now, and named it after the one she led back in what you Adventurers call... I-taly?" He had pronounced it wrong, starting it with a hard I. Dumah corrected his pronunciation. "Right, 'Italy...' Anyways, her brothel is named La Rosa Colta."

[Deleted]

La Rosa Colta. The large building stood proud in one of the western districts of Londinium, the intricate designs of the structure making its elegance shine brightly. The very architecture shouted to all who gazed upon it, telling a story of its prosperous business. Federico accompanied Dumah to the building, ensuring he made it without getting lost. "All right Dumah, here we are." Dumah was honestly quite shocked; whoever owned this plot clearly took great pride in it. The guild master grabbed the door knob, twisting it in his hand and pushing the door open.

The two men walked in, the inside just as magnificent - if not more so - as the outside. Women walked around with a sway to their bodies, an alluring pep in their stride. One walked by and looked at the two men, gently holding her hand up near her lips and gesturing a blown kiss in their direction, lightly waving at Dumah. This place was amazing for a simple brothel. Too amazing - surely they had come to the wrong place. "I think we have the wrong building..."

Federico smiled a bit of a suppressed chuckle, speaking with a toothpick in his mouth he had been chewing on. "Nah, don't worry, this is it."

Dumah looked around a bit more. The place was true to its heritage, having a far more Italian vibe and atmosphere than it had English. A particularly beautiful, more elegantly dressed woman walked into view, tossing a soft smile at Dumah. All the Swashbuckler could do was return the gesture, smiling handsomely. The woman walked over to Federico, a smile on both of their faces. They lightly placed a hand on each other's arms, holding them softly as they kissed both cheeks in familiar greeting. The woman spoke with quite an Italian accent, though not so strong she was impossible to understand. "My my, look at you, messer. You have grown into quite a fine young man."

Federico smiled warmly. "And you have not aged a day."

The woman smiled and chuckled, gesturing a slight push with her hand as she spoke in a casual, happy tone. "Please, you need not lie child. The true trick is to accept aging and remain beautiful."

"Well you sure have that under control it seems." The two exchanged words and sentiments for a few moments, catching up.

"Now then, I take it you did not come here simply to say hello?"

"Yes, my friend here wishes to learn the ways of being a Courtesan, how to blend into a group and avoid attention when not desired. How to control the eyes, if you will." The young man chuckled as he teased Dumah, "His silver tongue is all he's good for in this line of work."

The woman turned to Dumah, speaking a bit excitedly. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Messer Dumah. Your friend here speaks quite highly of you. I can see why..."

Dumah felt a bit awkward by this treatment, but kept his smile, shaking his hands together and slightly bowing his head. "I appreciate the kind words, madam..."

Hearing his formality, the woman stopped him, gesturing with her hand. Her body language was very active, especially the hands. "Ti prego, call me Sofia."

"Thank you for taking the time to help me, Sofia."

"It is the least I could do; I have heard the rumors. It is a long walk here from Westminster Abbey, you must be tired, perhaps you'd like to re-"

Dumah put his hands up to physically stop her words, "No, grazie. I cannot stay."

"Why? What is the rush?"

"My guild seeks information regarding a seemingly unheard of dungeon. I have scoured all of the tomes in the Cathedral's library and have found nothing."

"I understand your rush and your excitement, but you have become an infamous man. People will be weary around you, you cannot rush into your hunt for information."

Dumah did not want to hear this, he simply wanted to have her help. "Please, spare me the lecture..."

"Then do not rush into it, allow me to teach you." Sofia spun around towards the back of the building, walking off. "Come."