You are given a dangerous offer

You stroll down the unpainted hallway towards your very own room as a bed girl, twirling the brass key in between your fingers. You glace at each of the room numbers as you pass them by. Sixty-one...sixty-two...sixty-three...what was it Colvo said? Sixth floor, last door on the left? A few more steps places you right at the entrance of your room.

You look up at the room number and groan. Sixty-nine. You don’t know whether to laugh or scowl at the coincidence. You look around the hallway wondering if anyone has seen you, but the hall is deserted. It’s approaching the early hours of the morning, so most of the patrons are leaving for work and many girls are settling in for sleep or free time. You figure your neighbours wouldn`t like a loud wakeup, so you try to enter your room as quietly as you can. The key fits in smoothly, and with a tiny click the door unlocks and swings open.

The dawning light is just beginning to stream through a small, rectangular window to your left. The room is very small, with just the bed and a chair and a small vanity, and so it only takes a moment to realize that you are not alone.

There is a human woman inside the room, sitting primly on your bed. She has a handsome face lined with wrinkles of age, but rather than make her look old they give a mysterious air to her personage. Her hair is auburn with streaks of gray, tied up neatly in a bun, and she is wearing a form-flattering, silver dress with lines of small gems stitched into the fabric. You recognize her immediately as Tia Halifel, the owner and mistress of the Palace of Infinite Pleasures.

“Mistress Tia!” You say, quickly dropping into a low curtsey. “I-I was not expecting a visit so soon...a-and from you, no less.”

“Please, there is no need for that. I merely wanted to meet my newest bed girl.” She said in a pleasant tone. “My, my, you truly are quite a beauty. I’m sure my business will grow with you around.”

You smile again nervously. Your head is still reeling from the sudden appearance of what is very likely the most important and powerful person you have ever met, which is why you are surprised by a sudden question the mistress asks you.

"Do you know what a Banshee is?"

You remember your own mother telling you stories about the banshee and other monsters, things that would eat you whole, whenever you were naughty. You would lie awake on your bed, shivering under the covers, praying for sleep and for the sun to rise.

“It’s a spirit or monster. It takes the form of a woman, young or old, beautiful or ugly. Their presence is bad luck and their screams can kill anyone who hears them.” You answer her.

The mistress nods, agreeing to your description. “What you’ve heard is mostly true, except the part about killing them. Banshees only wail to signify someone is about to die. Their screams do not directly cause the ****. A common misconception.”

“But if their screams really did kill everyone who heard them...how would anyone know?” Tia asks, chuckling as she watches you ponder this paradox.

“Maybe some of them survived the screams?”

“Perhaps. Or maybe it was a tale spun by a very clever woman, to discourage men from trying to **** or **** lone females on the road. The fear of dying can truly motivate one towards chastity.”

Awkward silence. Perhaps speaking of dying and chastity to a **** girl in a brothel was not the wisest thing to say. Even Tia noticed it, shifting in embarrassment from her words.

“So what are you feelings, Melena? On being a girl in the Palace?” Tia quickly changes topics.

“It is hard, Mistress. But I am advancing, so I have little to complain about.”

“Have you ever wanted to achieve...more? Perhaps greater risk for greater return?”

“...Of course. Why do you think I have tried so hard up to this point?”

Another silence. This one more poignant though.

"Girl, what I'm going to ask you cannot leave this room." Mistress Tia stares at you intensely. "There are factions and forces that are opposed to my control of this brothel and its surroundings. As such, I highly prize discretion and subtlety so that my enemies do not gain any sort of advantage. If you were to speak about what I am about to tell you, it would compromise my position of power in this district and ruin my entire patronage.”

“I will be forthright with you, child. If you reveal this information, I will immediately strip you of all your privileges and demote you back to a common girl. Following that you will be **** to serve our...ah, ‘otherworldly’ brothel-goers. You will work eighteen-hour shifts, stopping only to eat, sleep, and relieve yourself. Sometimes I will not even provide the luxury of the latter. If you are not dead or catatonic by the fifth week, I will have you unceremoniously murdered and tossed out onto the streets. Being a **** girl, no one will even bat an eyelash at your used and broken corpse. ”

“I trust you have understood the gravity of your situation correctly?”

Her ruthlessness and distrustful nature leaves you shocked and very much afraid for your life. If she willing to completely destroy you, even for holding such a small piece of information, then what she is going to ask you must be far more dangerous, probably even life-threatening. Your curiosity and ambition overcome your fears though. You didn’t work so hard, sucking filthy cocks and rutting with unwashed bodies, just to give up a golden opportunity right in front of you. Nodding your head eagerly, you wait for the owner to continue.

"Then listen well. I want you to be my personal banshee, Melena." Tia says when she’s finally sure you are listening. “I mentioned opposing forces and factions, well some of them disguise themselves and hide themselves away from me, some of them right under my nose in my own brothel.”

"I want you to be my voice of ****.” She continues, "Calling out all those who would do me wrong, so I can deal swift **** to them."

"Of course you have the privilege of refusing. There are other girls I can ask for this and, if you hold your silence on these matters, you can return to being a bed girl and we will never speak of this day ever again."