"Well," Natalie said. "To that sed part—I'm not naked. Not really."

  Vaa'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 on?"

  "Why would I? The city is safe."

  "Supposedly."

  "The guards deal with violence, anyway. I wouldn't want to pull my on a mixed up in an i."

  Vaa wrinkled her nose aantly agreed. "Even so."

  "And I do have my belt," Natalie said, patting her side—and, despite herself, being a bit surprised when her hahe 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 see me like this."

  "Only me?"

  "Er, anyone I'm 'acquainted with'. Which is no one else here."

  "Oh." Vaa adjusted to that annou. "That's … a weird stake. How mas was it?"

  "Four."

  "That's it?"

  "I mean. It's just nudity."

  "Publiudity."

  "Semi public. But I get your point." She shrugged. "It was better than the five heart. And paid better thahree. 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 't imagine."

  Natalie narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean? There's plenty I wouldn't take."

  "Sure there is." Vaa cleared her throat. "Anyway. e with me? I don't like being out here, in these." She idly picked at the see-through flimsy bck 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 preteo ignore how Vaa's eyes flicked down her body—which was pletely exposed, from her perspective—before darting back up. The rogue abruptly turhe tips of her ears c red as she hurried forward.

  "How many runs did you do?" Vaa asked.

  "Just the one. Wao 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 ughed. "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 e."

  Vaa gnced over her shoulder, met her eyes briefly, then flushed and started walking faster.

  The versation stilled as Vaa led her through the lobby, into a stairwell, and up into the sed floor of the Bordello.

  "How many are there, anyway? Floors, I mean."

  "Five," Vaa said. "Three lobbies: the ground floor, third, and fifth. Then there's the sed-floor private rooms, and the fourth-floor private rooms."

  "What's the differeweewo?"

  "Fourth floor is froup activities. Or the crazy stuff."

  "The crazy stuff?"

  "Didn't ask, and I don't want to know," she muttered. "No iions of going up there."

  "Not even if I ask nicely?"

  She gred over her shoulder and didn't reply.

  Upstairs, the st of perfume was less overwhelming, and thus, other smells were more prevalent. There was also a lot more he walls and doors were soundproofed, but sidering the sheer enthusiasm of the octs, thick walls could only do so much. Vaa scurried forward, finding the room she'd been assigo, and holy, Natalie also hurried through. This was no more her envirohan it was Vaa's, even if she had a more casual attitude toward sex.

  Inside, she found more or less what could be expected inside a private Bordello room. It was brightly lit, with brass mps casting warm, yellow glows through the room—sihe twilight of the City didn't provide muatural illumination. A bed domihe space, a rge four-poster with dark wooden posts and lic-colored bedding. The sheets were pristine, not a stain in sight—thank the heavens—and pillows were piled high with a mix of satin a covers. A matg chaise lou in a er of the room, its upholstery a faded floral pattern, soft-looking but clearly old.

  The floor was covered by a thick rug, edges frayed, but the intricate pattern still visible. Heavy velvet curtains hung over the window, half-drawn, not that there was much light to block from the City's dark sky. To the right of the bed, a small vanity table stood cluttered with gss perfume bottles, a hairbrush, and a silver hand mirror; she doubted Vaa had touched them.

  The air was faintly perfumed, as in the rest of the Bordello, a mix of something floral and with a faint hint of tobaoke lingering in the air. A narrow armoire was tucked into the er opposite the door; it en, dispyis of lingerie—Natalie suspected this was where Vaa had picked out her 'w uniform'. Natalie glimpsed her armor sitting inside. Would she get to see Vaa try some of the other lingerie sets on?

  There was a small table he edge of the room that held a tray with a crystal deter of amber liquid and a couple of mismatched gsses. Natalie didn't io indulge in any alcohol, whether it was free or not, though she was vaguely tempted. She didn't want to be even slightly impaired, not when dealing with Vaa; she'd feel more fortable loosening up that way with maybe Jordan, but when iing with someoively o her, she preferred to stay sober. Not to mention how she was in the dungeoing drunk on a delve retty horrible idea, no matter the circumstance.

  The st thing Natalie's attention lingered on was the tall, seven-foot oval mirror leaning against the wall opposite the bed. Her lips quirked at that. How prest of the designers. She really ought to get something like that for her own bedroom, back at Te. Should … anything happen on that bed, she would enjoy the extra viewing angles.

  "Do I even want to know why you're smiling like that?"

  Natalie blinked and faced back to her hostess, who was gring, having seen Natalie's eyes linger on the mirror. She supposed the lewd ideas she'd had must have been clear on her face. She wiped her expression , putting on an i look that was mostly inteo annoy Vaa, who took the bait.

  "Pervert," she muttered. "Ugh. I 't believe I'm actually doing this." She stalked over to the armoire and pulled out, surprisingly, a small chalkboard. "Here," she said, thrusting it out to Natalie. "This is the menu. We're required to make one for our ers to look through."