Backstory: The Beginnings of A New Life

[Madame Tigris Dienno]

He lied!

It was all I could think as I picked my way through the stalls in Night's Doorstep, in my best dress, which happened to be a year old and soiled to death. He had lied. He told me that the whores were revered here, but he neglected to tell me that they had to be inducted into the service of their patron God of whoring from the age of 10! Who could do that anyways, settig children up for a life of debauchery, condemning them to it, teaching them to love it.

Then again, maybe I was just a little jaded.

Regardless, he did not tell me I would be struggling just as hard as I had been in La Sernissima. My clothes were outdated, old, musty, garish, and certainly not flattering. My hair could never be done as I wanted it, perfumed and with fine oils. I always kept myself clean, regardless of my attire, but if I am to sell my ares to men who have well manicured prostitutes just up the hill, I needed to portray a guise of wealth.

That was difficult, of course, to do, when you are starving, and stealing food from a stall in Night's Doorstep. Both of which I was when my hand was grabbed roughly by the owner of this stall I was filching from. It was one that sold baked goods and I was trying for one of their apple pastries. When I looked up, for what seemed like forever, I found myself face to face with a portly older man, arms the size of my waist who fair picked me off the ground by my one hand and shook me. I squealed, a light but high pitched noise. My heart beat thunderously in my chest, my eyes wide as I gasped, trying to pull away.

"Unhand me you lout, can't you see I am a lady?" I asked, hoping that I could hide behind my gender as the disruption started to turn into a scene. If I had of known that finding today's meal was going to be so distressing I would have opted to starve instead.

"Huh, you? A lady?" I bellowed, laughter ringing from his wide open, semi-toothless mouth. "Look at the likes of you! You dirty common whore!" He growled, grinning leacherously down at me. "You plan on paying for that pastry somehow, ain't you?" He struggled, my eyes wide, surely he was not going to force sex on me in front of all these people.

[Madam Beatrice Moreau]

I was out and about as I was normally, escaping the bath house for a time; one couldn't spend all day in the humidity and as I had capable staff I decided to take my afternoon jaunt. As was common for me I went to the stalls to see what foods and wares there were for sale, what prices there were, and of course to make my presence known in search of clients. I had come into a comfortable living, perhaps not as comfortable as a Dowayne, or a Duchesse, but I made a fair amount of coin of of my girls and the bath house. It afforded me many luxuries that most in my position... sorry, former position... would never had been able to have. Gowns, jewelry, what ever my desires be, I even had designs on purchasing a carriage in the future and eventually another bath house. Things were at least looking up, which was more then I could say for some people... speaking of which.

"Huh, you? A lady? Look at the likes of you! You dirty common whore!"

One would have to be blind to not see the commotion on the street as a young girl was man handled by a ham fisted dealer near one of the pastry stalls. I had to sigh at the sight as I looked at the dark haired girl and way she was dressed. Pity, she was attractive. It was then that I felt the ever watchful presence of Bianca at my side and looked to her; her face held a pang of pain and guilt and I sighed again. It wasn't like me to step into such a dispute, especially to use my influences so publicly, but for a number of reasons I decided I should make an exception.

"One should beware of their tongue Monsieur," I said in my delicately stern voice, my hands folded demurly and held at my waist as I neared the pair.
"Say the wrong thing and it could be cut out." My mouth was set in his usual thin line save for the small flicker of a smile that flashed before returning to its static state. His grip on the pretty dark haired girl eased enough so that she slipped from his grasp as he turned to look at me.

"Is that so?" He replied warily, his brows furrowed; he must have been knew, most of the vendors would have recognized me and when I glanced around I noticed that others did even if he didn't.

"It is indeed." I replied steadily.

"Well... my lady..." He drew out his words in a sardonic fashion. "This little street urchin was stealing from my cart. So I think I'll deal with her how ever I choose." He added with a twisted little grin and then reached out to grab the girl's upper arm.

"That would not be wise." I said quickly, as I was now standing right before him, murmurs arrising from those who were in attendance.

"Queen of the lesser court..." "Bath house whores" "Madam Moreau." I had heard them all before of course.

"And why is that?" He replied, his hand moving away from the girl, his posture changing as he too noticed that people around us had come to recognize me and it unnerved him.

"Because," I spoke, my voice still soft as I reached into my sleeve and withdrew my personal dagger, the pearl handle showing as I flashed it to him. "You'd be dead before you could pull that wrinkled phallus from your trousers and no one here would say anything to stop me." I held his gaze, hard and fierce as I saw his eyes flick to my hand that held the dagger and then back to my eye. I slowly pressed the dagger back into its sheath concealed in my gown sleeve and my hand went to my purse, the man's eyes darting between me, the dark haired girl and the other vendors that looked cautiously in our direction.
"Perhaps we can solve this in another fashion." I then spoke as I handed him 3 gold coin.
"Three pasteries please." I then spoke, holding out the money. His eyes continued to dance before he took the coin and I motioned to Bianca who took hold of the pastry that the dark haired girl had dropped along with two others. The vendor moved away from us and went to the other side of his cart, leaving us be. There was a continued murmur about the crowd as things returned to their normal bustle and I finally turned to the street girl.

"Come." I simply said and then turned, heading back to the side street where I have come from.

[Madame Tigris Dienno]

Before the man had a chance to rape or beat me, one of which, if not both, I was sure he was on the verge of doing, a woman's voice spoke up, loud and clear, and strong, and my eyes flashed in the direction they came. A tall woman, looking rather austere, towered above me, and close to the height of the cruel man whose grasp had lessened when she started to speak. I slipped out, but instead of running like my instincts told me to, I watched. The surrounding vendors watched too, taking more interest in the hapenings now then when I was the one fit to become this idiot's next meal. I watched, inching slowly to the side, but before I could at least get out of his reach he reached out for me again, grabbing my upper arm, his grimy fingers digging into my flesh, causing a panicked sound of discomfort to escape my lips. I struggled, and soon, she was speaking again, her voice commanding presence, as even he let go again to listen to her speak. And then there was the flash of metal, concealed, and words spoken harshly, but with conviction, and I knew that she was telling the truth, not fluffing her own ego to appear more powerful. I knew this from the looks on the faces of the other vendors, the murmurs that started to arise as more people gathered about to witness the happenings.

But just as soon as the metal flashed, it was gone, the knife disappearing from whence it came while the little girl who I just noticed gave the vendor coin to pay for what I had stolen, and two other pastries as well. I looked to the woman, not wanting to be indebted, to anyone, but curious, terribly curious of why she would have stepped in in the first place. It was not my first time being so publicly degraded, and no one had done anything to stop it before. So when she beckoned for me to come, though I felt a tad bit dejected, and like a common pet, I followed her, and not once did I look back on the scene I had left.

"Who... my lady," I said, catchng up to her, "thank you for what you have done but... who are you?" I asked, looking to the little girl who held the pastries, then back to the steely-eyed woman. She was so graceful, so beautiful even though she was aging. Her beauty was obvious and the way she carried herself made me feel like she was someone high in ranking, which, of course, only served to make me feel like I would owe her an even larger boon for what she had done.

[Madam Beatrice Moreau]

I continued to walk, not looking to the girl as I did until we had turned down the next street and away from the vendors. Stoping on the corner I turned on my heel and looked at her, appraising her and taking her in. The hair was matted in some areas, her clothes were dirty and needed to be both sown and washed, and she smelled like she had been on the streets for some time. Pretty though, in a fashion, not D'Angeline of course, though the fact she spoke it with conviction and very little accent told me that she had come from a place where she was once taken care of. Either way in that moment I didn't care about her history. Her eyes were stunning, a clear green that shone out from her dirty looking face, only added by her dark skin. She certainlly had potential.

I rose my right hand and snapped my fingers, not looking away from the girl, and waved my hand from Bianca to the girl. Wordlessly Bianca handed over the pastries to the waif before stepping back behind me.
"Do you have a place in this world child?" I asked, completely ignoring her question.

[Madame Tigris Dienno]

I was stunned into silence when she turned around to face me, snapping her fingers at the girl who was clearly somehow in her employ. The girl scurried to me, handing me the pastries, then scurried back to her side. I looked up from the bag to the woman whose demeanor had not changed, and who had not answered my question but instead posed one of her own.

"I do.... and I don't madam," I said with a quiet voice, though I stayed a bit back from her, and on my guard. I had seen that steel flash and I did not want it turned on me. "I live in a boarding room in the Southern Borough when I can afford it. Otherwise... I make due with finding places to sleep." And since I did not know this woman, whether she might be someone who would turn me into the authorities for what I did do, I kept it at that. She did not need to know that the places I found to sleep happened to be with men who I would exchange services with for that very purpose.

[Madam Beatrice Moreau]

"In the beds of men?" I inquired, knowing that it was probably the truth. "That man called you a whore, and I'm sure he wasn't just being..." I began to look her up and down, my gaze stern and judgemental.
"Colourful."

[Madame Tigris Dienno]

I felt the urge to back away from her, but instead I stayed my ground, my eyes narrowing as I tried to figure whether she was being kind or she was being rude, and why on earth she was talking to me. "Words said in anger do not necessarily mean they are true. Besides, in Terre d'Ange, he'd have a 50/50 chance of being correct," I stated, not out of contempt, but out of fact. Their glorified whores roamed the streets in probably the same number as their perrage. "Why do you wish to know these things?" I asked her. It was an indirect question as to who she was, but I was hoping she would answer this one, a far less personal one than the one I had before. "What is your interest in me? Especially if I am but a common whore who warms the beds of men for a paltry price?"

[Madam Beatrice Moreau]

I quirked a brow and released the straight line of my mouth to show a flicker of a smile before it faded.
"If you wish to know who I am, come to number 8 Rue Fondary tomorrow after noon." I replied simply.
"You may just find that you have a proper place in this world after all, and one were you are paid better for you services." I added as I turned from her.
"This is a one time offer," I called over my shoulder as I began to walk away, Bianca in tow.
"Don't make the mistake of thinking you'll find anything better."

[Madame Tigris Dienno]

I watched her walk away, so sure of herself, and resolved that I would be there, tomorrow, just after noon, if for no other reason than to figure out what this woman was about.