So I made my friend Matti make me write. He gave me this prompt to write anything that came to mind, and this is what came to mind.
Prompted by: Matti
Safe: Yes.
The young girl started in surprise as the door of La Rosa in Fiore was shoved open, admitted a large gaggle of men, raucous and stinking of cheap wine, vomit and piss. Fina schooled her expression quickly; it wouldn’t be good for her to wrinkle her nose in disgust—something she desperately wished to do, along with fleeing the main room—and so pursed her lips into a plump pout and slouched her weight onto one hip, concentrating on the discomfort of her corset digging into her angled waist so she wouldn’t collapse from the stink of the men who were approaching.
Fluttering her eyelashes, she murmured, “Greetings, signori. How—”
“Best whores,” one of the men slurred, causing the others to cheer; he also threw a heavy pouch of coins at her and she barely managed to catch it. “Whole lot of them, I want two for every one of my friends here! No! Three!”
“God help those chosen,” she muttered under her breath as she turned around to check the book on the desk.
Oh.
“I-I’m sorry, signori, but…we don’t have enough girls for you.”
“What do you mean, you don’t have enough girls? This is a whorehouse, isn’t it?!” Despite the alcohol flooding his system, he managed to walk straight to her and glower at her. “You have loads of girls, I’ve seen them! So where the fuck are they? You stupid wench! I’m a paying customer-!”
“And so is the gentleman hiring them,” another female voice coolly interrupted. It was Claudia, descending the stairs regally as she levelled a narrowed gaze at the man standing a hair’s breadth from the delicate Fina. “Please step away from my girl, signore.”
“What do you mean, the gentleman? Surely he can’t need that many girls.”
Claudia snorted derisively. “You would be surprised, ser. I’m afraid that I must send you elsewhere; I have a few girls to spare, but I fear how they would fare, having to…service all of you. Take your coin elsewhere.”
“We’ll wait,” the man fired back.
“You’ll be waiting a long time—‘til sunrise, if experience leads me to believe.”
“I have much coin! Tell those girls to leave the other man!”
“I’m afraid the man in question has more coin than you could ever imagine, and is also a…loyal customer. I’m afraid I cannot interrupt his time.”
“Spineless bit—”
A dagger was at his throat before he even took a step towards her.
“Take your friends and leave this house. Or I will interrupt his time and he will not be happy about being disturbed for the likes of you,” Claudia said calmly.
The man studied her carefully before nodding and stepping back, snatching the coin purse from Fina and following his friends out the door. Before he slammed the door shut, he cursed a storm at Claudia, but cut off quickly when Claudia threw the dagger; the blade sunk deep into the door.
The Madonna sighed. “This is why I do not like it when Ezio stays—it ruins my business!”
“And the girls,” Fina muttered in agreement.
