Anelle wrinkled her nostrils in disgust. The smell of rotting fish still lingered on the walls, permeating into the air. She imagined the phy in her mind and imbued it with the tue, taking a deep breath as the scent of spring flowers after a light shower wafted into her nostrils.
Pins danced across her chest. Memories of the night before flashed through her mind. The strange meeting. Talk of treason. The dancing flames that sang to her and the terrifying man who wielded them. Anelle shuddered. She relived the blade slicing across her skin and the tingling sensation as the poison began to worm its way into her blood stream.
The poultice Moreal had applied last night stuck to her night dress. Anelle sat up, pulling the fabric away and instantly regretted it as pain splintered across the wide gash.The pain ripped away any lingering drowsiness. She swung her legs over the bed and began dressing.
Shuffling footsteps and distant voices filtered through the walls. Anelle's room had no outside windows but she knew the sun would be setting soon and the outer doors would be flung open for customers.
Anelle laced up her dress and lifted her head. The world shifted before her eyes. White spots invaded her vision. Her fingers felt as cold as ice. She closed her eyes and flexed her cold fingers waiting for the feeling to pass.
A moment later her head cleared and she reached down to put on her boots. As she leant down she noticed intermittent shadows under the door.
Anelle placed a piece of dense black lace around her neck and tucked the ends into the top of her corset to cover the gash across her chest. She checked her reflection in the looking glass and winced at the heavy bags under her eyes.
Anelle opened her door. Vetha stopped pacing and her face perked up into a relieved smile. Her loose black robe fell off her shoulder as she ran forward and grabbed Anelle's hands.
"Thank the mothers before and after, I prayed you would wake up in time." Vetha said.
Anelle furrowed her eyebrows in concern. "What's the matter?"
"Will you help me dress tonight?" Vetha asked, with a spark of hope in her eyes.
Anelle searched Vetha's face until the answer hit her. "Oh, it's tonight?"
Vetha nodded, her cheeks flushed crimson, she lowered her eyes.
"I would like you to help me dress, if…if you want to." Vetha nervously stuttered.
Anelle cupped Vetha's face, gently raised her chin and looked into her eyes.
"I would love to help you tonight." Anelle said, softly.
Vetha's shoulders dropped and her face relaxed into a gentle smile.
"Thank you." She whispered.
Vetha grabbed her hand and led the way through the halls. The second floor was alive with movement. Courtesans walked about in different stages of dress helping to fix each other's hair or applying coloured powders and stains to each other's eyes and lips. Vetha weaved through the throng heading for the end of the hall.
Iva and Nyssa stood in the doorway, already dressed in orange and gold for the evening. Iva held an open box, with different shades of pink fabric spilling over the sides. Nyssa held a smaller box with a bow in the same pink fabric.
"We need to start soon if you are going to be ready in time." Nyssa said, with her thick Siahon accent drawing out each syllable.
"I am ready now." Vetha replied as she looked over her shoulder at Anelle.
They ushered Vetha through the doorway. The room was decorated like the rest of the receiving rooms but with pink accents as Vetha had requested. A large bed took up most of the space. The mattress rested low to the ground with crisp white sheets and a large pile of pillows across the top. Lengths of sheer white fabric hung in a square around the bed with openings on three sides. Pink flowers dotted the room in different shaped vases. Opposite the bed was a table with two chairs, which would often be used to entertain customers with food or cards until curfew broke, was now being used as a vanity with a copper looking glass.
Iva guided Vetha over to the table and sat her down in one of the empty chairs.
"It will be easier if the weaving is done before we apply the paint. Anelle, would you do the honors?" Iva asked as she looked over at Anelle.
"You want me to do it? Not Moreal?" Anelle looked between Iva and Vetha for confirmation. They both nodded eagerly. Anelle sat.
"Are you sure?" Anelle asked.
"I trust you. Your face looks beautiful and I know you will do the same for me." Vetha replied.
Anelle opened her mouth but closed it and nodded. She swallowed down the sudden rush of emotions with a tight smile.
"Is there anything you want to change?" Anelle asked, finding her voice.
"I have always wanted a smaller nose." Vetha responded.
"Taking requests." Nyssa chimed in. "Don't let anyone else hear, you may become more popular than Moreal." She had made herself comfortable lounging across the foot of the bed.
Anelle and Vetha looked up at her comment.
"Moreal usually does what she thinks looks best on each of us." Iva explained. She had pulled the dress out of the box and hung it up against the wall. Flowing pink cascaded through her fingers as she smoothed out the layers.
Anelle turned back to Vetha.
"As it is your first night, I can start with your nose and work outwards. I may be able to change the colour of your hair, do you want that?"
Vetha thought about it for a moment but shook her head. "No. I…I still want to look like myself. I want to be recognised if I ever…"
Nyssa and Iva froze.
"I can do that." Anelle responded with a kind smile.
Anelle took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She pulled a tendril from the pool within her chest and it slithered down to her fingertips. Under her eyelids she envisioned the phy for weaving and traced each curve and line. Anelle opened her eyes and reached out for the ancestral thread.
Vetha's skin stretched out and pulled as she worked. First the nose, Anelle struck the thread and ran her thumb along the line of vetha's nose. A tingle of needle pricks danced through her fingers, not painful but not comfortable either. Vetha sucked in a breath. Her nose shifted and shrunk, almost flat against her face with a crooked bend near the eyes.
Iva turned away stifling a laugh.
Anelle ran her thumb along the length of her nose, gentler this time, their skin barely touching. Vetha went stiff as she stifled a shiver. Anelle was locked into her work and paid no attention.
Vetha's nose shifted again into a small button shape. Anelle released the tension in her shoulders and her lips peaked at the edges. She pulled back and gestured towards the looking glass.
"What do you think?" Anelle asked.
Vetha turned to the looking glass and raised her eyebrows at her reflection.
"I love it!" She exclaimed, as she touched her new nose, not sure if it was real.
"Now I will do some small adjustments to make your brows, cheekbones and lips look better in proportion to your new nose." Anelle explained.
Vetha sat back in position for Anelle to continue.
"I am slightly jealous. Small changes are less likely to revert back." Iva commented.
"What do you mean?" Vetha asked.
"Changing your appearance like this is unnatural and often your body tries to revert back to how you were born but often gets stuck halfway."Anelle answered. "Leaving people looking like parts of their face has fallen off. But as Iva said, small changes tend to stick better. However, always check your reflection before we open, just in case."
Vetha nodded as Anelle ran her thumb over her lips and the familiar tingle danced in its wake.
"You must be excited to finally start earning off your debt from tonight." Iva said.
"I'm nervous but not entirely sure it matters." Vetha responded.
"What do you mean?" Iva asked.
"Well it seems that I will have to work for decades, sixteen days a pantheon with no rest, and I still may never earn enough."
Nyssa and Iva shared a long look. Nyssa gave a short nod and walked over to check no one was listening at the door.
Iva shook her head with a sad smile. "Talking about debt and money is taboo but I think you need to realise the position you are in. It's common practice in these parts for women to be sold or held for a loan and expected to work if the money is not paid back. My father had gambling debts. He needed money quickly or he was going to be arrested and sent to a work camp. I was thirteen but the oldest, so he dragged me to the Safille District and took out the largest loan he could with no intention of ever paying it back.
"You and Anelle have a fraction of debt compared to what I have now, even taking into account the last decade I have worked to reduce it. No one who ends up here is lucky but the two of you have more hope of one day earning your freedom then the rest of us."
"How could anyone do that to their own child?" Vetha asked.
"Quite easily." Moreal answered. Everyone turned towards the door. Moreal was leaning on the frame with a distant look in her eyes. "Children cost money. In our line of work they rack up debt faster than most. They eat non stop and constantly need new clothes. After working tirelessly for decades it doesn't seem so cruel to dump the debt on them for the sake of your own freedom. At least that's how my mother felt."
Silence fell over the room.
Anelle pulled back her hand, scrutinising Vetha's face and gave her a nod. Vetha turned to the looking glass and raised her brows as she admired her new reflection.
Moreal walked over and took a closer look.
"Very good, Anelle." Moreal praised and turned to Vetha. "Now we need to get you dressed, love."
Vetha stood and let her robe fall to the ground. Iva lifted the dress over her head and followed with the corset. Anelle set about pulling the ties and cinching her waist.
Nyssa presented the small box with a pink ribbon to Vetha. "Open it."
Vetha pulled the ribbon loose and opened the lid. Sitting on a tiny pillow was a gold necklace with a pink gem set in the centre.
"It's beautiful." Vetha breathed. She looked up at Nyssa. "But this is expensive."
"A necessary expense. You must look the part if men are going to throw gold at you." Nyssa replied as she indicated the looping gold chains around her own neck. She lifted the necklace over Vetha's head and carefully set her hair back in place.
Iva and Moreal set about opening jars of different coloured powders and paints across the table. Vetha sat down and closed her eyes as they smeared cosmetics over her skin, lined her eyes with black kohl ending in thin wings and painted her lips a dark shade of pink.
"And we are finished." Iva declared.
Vetha opened her eyes and everyone stood back admiring her appearance. She looked down and smiled at all the attention. Her cheeks flushed a rosy pink to match her outfit.
"Rouge on her cheeks would have been too much." Nyssa said.
Vetha let out a nervous laugh. The room took a breath and everyone relaxed.
A knock at the door drew everyone's attention.
Dame Luel stood in the doorway. She was rather colourful in comparison to her usual dark wardrobe, in a royal blue dress. The large puffed sleeves and skirt were an out of date style that suited her well.
"It's time, ladies." Dame Luel said.
Moreal moved over to Vetha and held out a small vial.
"Drink this now. It will help with the nerves and the pain." Moreal uncorked it and handed the vial to Vetha.
Vetha took a deep breath. Anelle could see the weight of tonight's events begin to sink in like a pile of bricks tied to her feet as she walked towards the edge of a cliff. Anelle shook the image away.
Vetha swallowed the contents of the vile. She winced at the taste and handed the bottle back.
Dame Luel led the way to the main hall. Iva and Nyssa went through taking their places on either side of the balcony. Vetha paused for a moment, took a deep breath and disappeared through the door.
Dame Luel turned to Moreal.
"Moreal I have informed Jonnen that I will be absent for a while tonight. Once you give the signal he will open the doors. Something urgent has come up." She turned her focus to Anelle. "Follow."