Chapter 316

“Well,” Natalie said. “To that second part—I’m not naked. Not really.”

Vanetta’s eyes flicked down, and, a dubious expression appearing, she crossed her arms. “You don’t even have your belt on. What if you needed your weapon?”

“Why would I? The city is safe.”

“Supposedly.”

“The guards deal with violence, anyway. I wouldn’t want to pull my weapon and get mixed up in an incident.”

Vanetta wrinkled her nose and reluctantly agreed. “Even so.”

“And I do have my belt,” Natalie said, patting her side—and, despite herself, being a bit surprised when her hand met the leather of her monster core pouch. “I told you, I’m not actually naked. It was a stake. My gear is still on. Only you can see me like this.”

“Only me?”

“Er, anyone I’m ‘acquainted with’. Which is no one else here.”

“Oh.” Vanetta adjusted to that announcement. “That’s ... a weird stake. How many hearts was it?”

“Four.”

“That’s it?”

“I mean. It’s just nudity.”

“Public nudity.”

“Semi public. But I get your point.” She shrugged. “It was better than the five heart. And paid better than the three. So. It was the obvious choice.”

“Do I even wanna know?”

“What the five-heart was? No, you don’t.”

“Seeing how even you didn’t take it, I can’t imagine.”

Natalie narrowed her eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean? There’s plenty I wouldn’t take.”

“Sure there is.” Vanetta cleared her throat. “Anyway. Come with me? I don’t like being out here, in these.” She idly picked at the see-through flimsy black dress she was wearing, as if trying to adjust it to better preserve her modesty. It did little to help. “Feels like people are looking. Upstairs is private, at least.”

“Sure.” Natalie stood and pretended to ignore how Vanetta’s eyes flicked down her body—which was completely exposed, from her perspective—before darting back up. The rogue abruptly turned, the tips of her ears coloring red as she hurried forward.

“How many runs did you do?” Vanetta asked.

“Just the one. Wanted to make sure I got here in time. Didn’t want to leave you hanging.”

“Oh, yes. I’m sure your motivation had nothing to do with employing my services.”

Natalie laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, looking forward to that too. But no, really, it was mostly because I promised. Couldn’t let you sit here when I told you I’d come.”

Vanetta glanced over her shoulder, met her eyes briefly, then flushed and started walking faster.

The conversation stilled as Vanetta led her through the lobby, into a stairwell, and up into the second floor of the Bordello.

“How many are there, anyway? Floors, I mean.”

“Five,” Vanetta said. “Three lobbies: the ground floor, third, and fifth. Then there’s the second-floor private rooms, and the fourth-floor private rooms.”

“What’s the difference between the two?”

“Fourth floor is for group activities. Or the crazy stuff.”

“The crazy stuff?”

“Didn’t ask, and I don’t want to know,” she muttered. “No intentions of going up there.”

“Not even if I ask nicely?”

She glared over her shoulder and didn’t reply.

Upstairs, the scent of perfume was less overwhelming, and thus, other smells were more prevalent. There was also a lot more noise. The walls and doors were soundproofed, but considering the sheer enthusiasm of the occupants, thick walls could only do so much. Vanetta scurried forward, finding the room she’d been assigned to, and honestly, Natalie also hurried through. This was no more her environment than it was Vanetta’s, even if she had a more casual attitude toward sex.