"There are no honest men in the sky islands of Nagekomi," a well-dressed customer shrugged and dismissed the Madam's accusation at the front desk of the Cloud Moon Tea House (飛雲越茶屋: 'Hiuntsukochaya'). It was a half-serious statement and a shameless admission of guilt, but he didn't sound the slightest bit sorry.
The idiom was widely believed to be fact in these parts of the Archipelago. The local residents frequently used it as more of an excuse, similar to 'Boys will be boys' or 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks'.
There simply were no honest men in Nagekomi.
The floating islands would sooner fall from the sky before people learned to stop telling lies.
This client had been caught red-handed attempting to pay a courtesan with counterfeit coins, but the brothel's Madam had swept onto the scene before any fraudulent transaction could occur. It was needless to say that prostitution was a grueling business, and it would have been demoralizing to let an evening of sweaty labor go entirely to waste. Madam Suni was an excellent manager in this sense, particularly since her watchful eyes guaranteed that no customer escaped without paying their owed dues.
"The bill, please." Madam Suni smiled threateningly at the client. "The coins are fake."
"I didn't bring any real money with me," the client responded nonchalantly. "I'm a poor, pitiful, and penniless pirate. What did you expect?"
"This is an island full of pirates, my dear cheating customer," the Madam responded coldly. "If the rest of our clients can pay in silver, surely you can too. Unless you would like to take this issue up with the local Pirate Lords?"
Her eyes were narrowed into slits, clearly judging the man. The self-proclaimed 'pirate' was obviously a traveler unfamiliar with the local customs. Indeed, the islands of Nagekomi were located in the heart of pirate territory, and crime was rampant in this impoverished and treacherous region. However, Nagekomi was not entirely lawless, and the Pirate Lords enforced their own version of justice and order. Currency fraud, for one, was not particularly appreciated by the ruling elite.
The male client feigned surprise.
"Really?" He exclaimed, deftly changing the conversation to a different subject. "Could it be that everyone in this room is a pirate, Ma'am? If we're all brothers and sisters in crime, I daresay it's important to treat our family members well. Perhaps you could offer a discount to Brother Hao1Note: He is speaking in the third person, which is commonly done in a number of East Asian languages. (me)? The fine ladies of this teahouse might fancy an evening cruise on my airship, and I would be happy to treat my dear younger sisters to a gift."
"No discounts." Madam Suni shot him down bluntly.
The self-proclaimed pirate pretended not to hear the Madam, and he turned to the side and promptly found someone else to use as a conversational hostage.
He grabbed the arm of a young serving girl who had walked by with a dishrag.
"Hey little lassie, would you like to ride on a pirate ship?" He grinned, a chipped tooth showing on his predatory smile. "It's free of charge, and Brother Hao would like to show his deep appreciation to the house staff."
+ + +
14-year-old Sasanoyou Aosagi had been absent-mindedly traveling from table to table, wiping down dirty surfaces in the lounge area of the Cloud Moon Tea House (飛雲越茶屋). She had been pre-occupied with her own thoughts when a random man suddenly grabbed her arm.
As a kamuro, or courtesan-in-training, this naturally came as a surprise. Aosagi had not been approved to take customers yet. Moreover, she wasn't dressed in the beautiful robes of a high-class courtesan, and her simple attire was plain like a common servant's. Her dull face wasn't attractive and her scrawny body was straight like a bamboo stick. Even though it had been nearly four months since her family sold her to a brothel in the red light district, this was the first time that anyone tried to grab her.
Aosagi blinked in confusion.
"...Sorry?" She mumbled incoherently.
"What's your name, little lassie?" The customer asked with a toothed smile, as if dangling metaphorical candy in front of a child.
"...It's Shio." Aosagi responded slowly and apprehensively.
"Shio, huh? Shio, meaning salt?"
Aosagi nodded, although she wished the man would let go of her arm already.
Shio (塩) was the name that the Madam had given her after the Cloud Moon Tea House purchased her. It was a five-year contract, which was typical for many girls sold by their parents. It was customary for courtesans to have a flower name while working in a brothel. Elegant pseudonyms were commonplace among prostitutes in the red light district. Shio, however, was not a particularly feminine or flowery name. It seemed to emphasize the fact that Aosagi was dull like table salt, comparable to a dried sea urchin picked off a rocky seaside shore.
"An odd choice of name... although I suppose it suits you," the self-proclaimed 'pirate' remarked with an inquisitive look.
Aosagi did not respond, and she stared at the man blankly.
She could see from the corner of her eye that the Madam was scowling. The customer was clearly stalling for time, and he had only grabbed a random serving girl in a vain attempt to avoid paying the bill that he owed. The manager of the teahouse would not interrupt a client's conversation, and Aosagi had unfortunately walked by at the most inopportune moment.
"Tell me Shio, are there any pirates in your family?" He asked with a grin. "The Madam tells me that Nagekomi is a land of pirates. If we're all fellow criminals, it goes without saying that we are brothers and sisters in arms. Family ought to help each other out here and there. It's the natural way of blood-born love and filial duty, don't you agree?"
The 14-year-old girl did not blink.
The stoney expression on her face betrayed none of her private thoughts about family values. Despite Aosagi's young age, she was not at all flustered by this conversation, and she was clearly hardened beyond her years by a gritty childhood among crooks and vagabonds of Nagekomi, never mind her own family.
"My parents were opium farmers." She responded bluntly.
"Oh? Drugs? The processed good stuff?" The customer raised an eyebrow.
"Raw poppy flowers."
"A pity. I have a smuggler friend who is always looking for another supplier, but he doesn't deal with raw plants. I heard that the harvest for the past few years was abysmal though. Damn insect blights. I suppose that must be why a little plain-looking country bumpkin like yourself ended up in a brothel. Hey. Just out of curiosity, do you remember how much you sold for? It'd be helpful to know much average street girls sell for these days, especially with such an unfortunate economy."
He mentioned this bitter subject lackadaisically as if he was talking about the weather. His attitude was extremely insensitive, but the man hardly seemed to give the slightest bit of concern. Ultimately, Shio was just one scrawny serving girl among hundreds in the water district, and he didn't seem to think that her story would be that remarkable compared to the rest.
There were many beautiful flowers in a garden, and there was no reason to waste time on weeds.
The Madam interjected at this moment and shooed the young kamuro named Shio away.
"Your payment, Master Hao. Let's not get distracted now."
She folded her arms and tapped impatiently on the reception desk.
"We accept payment in form of loans, dear customer, with collateral and interest, if that is your preference?"
∎
