Chapter 7: Recruitment

Ariana couldn't help but happily look over all the goods at the open market. She spent most of her morning reviewing financial documents and the plans for the new business. Lady Zula had opened herself up to Ariana completely she allowing Ariana to accompany her to run errands. Rin and Roy closely followed behind Ariana and Lady Zula as they walked around. "Lady Zula." Ariana started but was quickly whacked over the head with a folded fan. "M-o-th-er." Lady Zula enunciated as she looked ahead. Ariana rubbed the back of her head gingerly as she smiled to herself. "Mother... Please don't forget to buy some apples on the way back. I promised you a drink, but I never asked you if you had ever tried apple juice." Ariana said as she flashed a bright smile at Lady Zula. Lady Zula stopped walking and stared at Ariana. "Yes, I have, it was a long time ago, and it was only once. It was the reason why I fell in love with apples in the first place." Lady Zula said as she looked at the girl with curious eyes. "Oh, so it's not new to you... Then apple cider it is!" Ariana said brightly as she gave Lady Zula a small salute. Lady Zula started to laugh and bent over to give the girl a small kiss on the top of her head. "So cute!" Lady Zula whispered into her hair and walked away, leaving Roy completely dumbfounded. "Well, she's not wrong." Rin giggled, causing Roy to completely blush. Ariana eyed the two and flashed a knowing smile to Roy. "Big brother, I'm gonna go ahead with mother, so please take care of Rin for me," Ariana shouted as she ran from the spot, leaving Roy blushing a deep crimson. Ariana couldn't help but giggle to herself once she caught up with Lady Zula. "Playing matchmaker maker are we?" Lady Zula said as she patted Ariana on the head. "I can't help it when he makes it so obvious," Ariana said with a small shrug. "Why do you think I never made her work like the other girls?" Lady Zula said as she grabbed Ariana's hand. "Because Rin's a ninja and is more valuable as a bodyguard than a... cough... female entertainer," Ariana said as they walked further down the cobblestone street. "No child, a ninja has more value as a female entertainer than bodyguard. They are taught the art of pleasing a man at a young age and are often used to extract information from government officials, politicians, bankers, and even business owners." Lady Zula explained seriously while Arianacarefully listened. "So you kept her as a bodyguard so Roy wouldn't suffer from heartache and do something stupid," Ariana said with an enlightened nod. Lady Zula's eyes sparkle; she knew her hunch was not wrong about the girl and mentally patted herself on the back. "That is correct, but enough about this serious talk. Let's talk about something else before we make it to the Craftsman shop." Lady Zula said with a gentle smile. Ariana thought seriously for a second, and then her face lit up when she came to a decision. "Tell me about this town! I have never been here before!" Ariana shouted excitedly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. Lady Zula let out a loud laugh and squeezed tgirl's hand. "Alright then! We are currently in the prosperous city of Stella Amora, and we have proud roots that date back 120 years. If you travel down, you will still see the stone buildings from that era. Of course, after many, many, many years, we have moved to brick and wood to build our homes, we still keep in mind our traditions and keep the exterior of the houses looking the same, but the interior is completely modernized." Lady Zula Explained as she pointed out the older buildings. Ariana nodded her head as she took mental note of her surroundings. Lady Zula looked left, then right, before they crossed the street and walked past a sweets shop. Ariana tugged at Lady Zula's hand and pointed at the shop. "Can we stop by for a quick loo?" Ariana asked with puppy dog eyes. Lady Zula tilted her head as she thought. "I don't see why not. Would you like me to buy you something?" Lady Zula asked affectionately. Ariana gave her a big smile. "No, thank you, I just want to check out the competition... just in case we choose to offer swee,s," Ariana said with a mischievous smirk. Lady Zula started to laugh as she hugged the girl. "Honestly, you're too good to me!" After a quick look around, they left the sweets shop. Ariana quietly contemplated what they could make easily for high profits. "I'm not sure what you have seen so far in your li, but you know what we are doing so far is enough for everyone to live comfortably, if this idea of yours takes off,ff that is." Lady Zula said, drawing Ariana away from her thoughts. Ariana sighed as she looked up at Lady Zula. "It's not just our girls I'm worried about. I hope that other brothels take our idea as an example and transform the industry. I don't think women should need to serve men in that sort of way." Ariana said as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Truly the same..." Lady Zula muttered under her breath. Lady Zula spun Ariana around and had her back go against a wall as she bent down to her eye level. "You are so adorable, talking like a little adult, but you have to understand, you may not change everything in one go. So I don't want you to take too much, work on the tasks at hand, and then change the world." Lady Zula said in a low voice that it sent chills down Ariana's spine. She wasn't sure if it was a warning or words of wisdom. So she allowed her eyes to water as she looked up atLadys Zula's face. "You aren't going to stop me from changing the sex industry or keep the idea only to ourselves?" Ariana asked in a shaky voice. Lady Zula kissed her cheek and wiped the lipstick off her face. "Once an idea is out there, we can't stop anyone from trying to copy it." Lady Zula said with a small chuckle. Ariana jumped onto Lady Zula and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, mother!" Ariana shouted happily. After a moment, Lady Zula broke their embrace and made their way to the Craftsman shop. Ariana looked up and read the sign aloud. "The Grizzly Crafters?" Lady Zula gave her a huge grin before she opened the door. A small bell jingled, letting the staff know that they had arrived. Ariana looked around the room. Some drafts were hanging up on the wall, samples of lumber leaning against the wall, and sample tools were on display. "Well, Lady Z, what do I owe the pleasure? Da," said a dark skinned beauty behind a large wooden counter. Her hair was ebony coloured with streaks of red running through it. She wore it in a set of twin buns that sat on either side of her head. Her eyes were a striking blue, and she wore pale blue overalls and a mellow yellow t-shirt. "Becc, I want to hire your services for my brothel's renovation." Lady Zula said courtly. Ariana went up to the counter and tried to take a peek in the room behind the counter. "What if I politely refuse to renovate 'such' a place?" Becca said with obvious disgust. Ariana heard her tone and jerked her head towards her direction. She narrowed her eyes and lifted her nose into the air. "Mother, are we sure we want to hire 'this' person to do such an important project? I mean, it might be better off left in someone else's hands who can take on such a life-altering job that will impact the economy," Ariana stated arrogantly. Becca looked down at Aria, and her eyes widened. Then she looked at Lady Zula. "Zula, when the hell did you have another child?!" Becca cried out in shock. Lady Zula started to laugh as she petted the girl's head affectionately. "I'm going to formally adopt the child. She was originally sold t,o me, but she is rather special. I wanted to introduce her to you, Becca." Lady Zula said with a wide grin. Ariana was confused, and she instantly dropped her snot ball attitude. "You know each other, personally?" Ariana questioned as she looked at both women. They both started laughing at Ari, Ana, causing her to puff out her cheeks in frustration; on, she didn't appreciate them making fun of her. Becca wiped her tears away and cleared her throat. "Yes, child, we're childhood friends", Becca said with a slight chuckle. Lady Zula placed an elbow on the counter and gave Becca a side smile. "She is right, though. What we are planning to do may make a name foyoulf but if you don't want to do it, I can always take my business elsewhere." Lady Zula said as she moved her eyebrows up and down in a taunting manner. Becca rubbed her face with both hands and groaned loudly. "Fine! What do you want?" Becca said in defeat, her curiosity was bigger than most people's. Lady Zula pounded the countertop with her fist in excitement. "That's my Becca! We will discuss the details over dinner tonight at my place. I want you to start the designs right away." Lady Zula said as her eyes reflected her victory. Becca plopped herself onto the countertop in defeat, making sure her face planted itself flatly. "All right. I will be there for 6." Becca moaned into the woods. "Good, good, now we should be on our way. Going to your brother's guild to hire some muscle." Lady Zula said as she blew Becca some air kisses. Becca lifted her head but left her body sprawled out on top of the counter. "I don't need any muscle to do the work; I have reliable employees," Becca said bitterly. "I know,w sweet, ie but I'll explain tonight!" Lady Zula shouted as she pushed Ariana out the door. "Nice meeting you, Miss Becca good bye," was all Ariana could shout before Lady Zula closed the door. "Now my little angel of to the Twin Tiger Guild to see Brian." Lady Zula said with a giggle. Ariana skipped beside Lady Zula as she looked at the architecture, as they walked further into the city. It all looked like a mixture of Roman Victorian-style homes, and just as Lady Zulsaid, there were rectoman-style stone buildings. One of the bigger ones was a building with the name "Twin Tiger" engraved into it. They stepped through the archway and opened a door thhadand twin tigers encircling one another painted on it. Inside was a grand hall that was redone in Victorian-style interior. Hardwood floors, high arched ceilings, hanging lig, and a stone fireplace off to the side where a group of people dressed in armor, leather, and tunics were happily chatting over a pint. Lady Zula paid no mind to anyone as she walked up to the desk. She rang the service bell, and an anonymous-looking lady came scurrying to the desk. Her greying hair was flying in bits and pieces even though she wore it in a side braid. Her skin was fair, and her face was small, but ridiculously big, round glasses she wore hid most of her face. "What do you want?!" The lady barke, causing Ariana to take a step back. Ariana wasn't expecting the mousy lady to have such a big, rough-sounding voice. Lady Zula opened up her fan and fluttered air to her face. "I'm here to see Brian." Lady Zula said in a seductive voice. The mousy lady readjusted her glasses and looked at him, then Ariana. "Do you have an appointment?" She bellowed, causing Ariana to drop her gaze, and grabbed her white dress.y Mari,na do I ever need an appointment to see Brian?" Lady Zula said as she raised an eyebrow. Marina sat back into her chair, crossed her arms, and stared down Lady Zula. "Go on, you know where he i," Marina said bitterly as she pouted. "Thank you again for your hospitality." Lady Zula said as she headed towards the stairs. Ariana stuck around and stared at Marina. Marina noticed her gaze and raised an eyebrow at her. "You got something to say, child?!" Marina said loudly. Ariana let go of her dress, straightened up her ba, and looked at Marina's face with tears welling up in her eyes. "A ginger and ginseng tea can help you with your cold, and if it's too bitter for you, only add a teaspoon of honey!" Ariana shouted back before running after Lady Zula. Everyone in the room had gone silent when Marina walked inbut the moment Ariana ran off,ff they all started laughing. "Oy! Marina to think there was another person in this world to see through your acting!" a burly man shouted, "And she was so young!" Someone else shouted over the roar of laughter. Lady Zula was waiting at the top of the stairs, and she stroked Ariana's cheek once they finally reunited. "You surprise me so much, you know that." Lady Zula said gently before she turned and walked down the hall, leaving Ariana to settle her nerves.