Reincarnated into a Snow Griffin

Chapter 98

The place we arrive at has a glamorous and rich in detail entrance but it would have been hard to tell what the place was for this time of the day if not for the red lights on the streets since there the lights are still off and no one is serving on the streets yet, but the massive mahogany tree pillars at the front, the dry trunks twisted with red flowers living off of their dead hollow husks, the contrast of their bright color with the dead blacken wood adds quite the picturesque charm to the shop’s front, but not only there is these adorns of red and golden and darken wood overlaying with many layers of overlapping wood and cloth, but there are red lanterns reinforcing its status as a whore house in a red district, some normal and fancy looking, round and flowing in the wind, but others looking like red and golden carps in the form of a kite, and I swear I see one of them flap their fins to have a better look at us.

At the top of it all there is the name of the place written in more than one language, the bold foreign characters adding charm to the name, Sanguine, simple yet able to promise unspoken pleasures of any nature.

Creepy, charming, yet odd, but I guess I should expect such from the demon city whore district.

"Come in." Says Ethan as he brushes the red long cloth of the entrance to the side and steps in. "We will meet an old friend of mine who can help."

As I stand beside him his words reach my ears at the same time that I raise an eyebrow at him and give a flat answer back:

"... An old friend?" Being old pals with someone from a whore house does not sound too ’friendly’ to me.

"Oh yeah, she is a friend and- wait, is not like that, hold on, Seraph is not what I meant-" I ignore his attempt at soothing me, waiting for the explanation that is due, after all there are not many ways to become friends with a whore, and none of them are good to his image.

And yet he does not do so, and I’m not sure if he would have explained himself if I pressured him for we are interrupted by two twin girls coming down from the stairs that lead to the balcony of the second floor where I presume the rooms are at, and with their shorts steps and clacking wooden shoes they are not speedy on their approach.

"Good evening master Ethan." One says, bowing to Ethan.

"Good evening master Seraph." The other says to me, bowing as well, probably overhearing my name from our talk, both dressed in odd robes that fit around them well but gave little space for movent, with a black base for a red pattern of flowers to be painted along its cloth, all well put together by a cloth belt tied at the front, ending with the head ornaments that pull their black silky hair up in a bun on opposite sides of their heads, being the only visible difference between the two since one bun is on the left and the other on the right.

"Madam is waiting for you two, please follow us."

At that they give us another short bow and turn around back towards the stairs, and with one last narrowing stare at Ethan who tries to smile his way out of this I follow the two past the still silent corridors into one of the farther biggest rooms at the back.

They open the door and get in, taking their places beside what I assume is the madam of this place, sitting over their knees in a straight forced pose that gave me the sense of a painting being framed by the door, and yet bare movements on their chests told me otherwise as I get in and take my sit on a pillow put on the floor as a woman voice asked us to sit down.

I could not see her yet, paper red umbrellas were separating us from her and only gave away her silhouette opposite to the light, and I supposed all this trick of the prompts and the light is a clever way to keep a mysterious yet alluring side when greeting customers.

"Ethan, is has been quite some time since we last saw, but I guess I know now the reason for such..." She says as the twins move up to pull the open umbrellas to the side, and even I cannot deny the beauty that greets us, a more mature and older version of the twins, her very long black hair worked in a complex pattern of twists and turns and crowns and hairclips that made it all look like a true made up crown, red lips and red eyeliner gave her dark black eyes color, and her white fingers craned a long thin pipe that she brings to her lips, only to let out a thin smoke line escape between her teeth.

And her clothes... if the other two had flowers on theirs hers has a whole mountain landscape, with even cranes flying above and giving depth to it all.

However once I’m over the first impact of such carved beauty laid there to impress, leaving parts of her pale skin to peek out and allure, my suspicion of their relationship only increases, and that makes me bitter, stone cold.

She lets a thick puff of smoke out, not moving or changing her expression, only her eyes moving up and down, asserting me. "Now I see that it was for a good reason uhm... wouldn’t mind to share him a little, would love to tear that cover and see was hidden behind that veil... actually, that is not a bad way of alluring customers." She then flicks her finger to one of the girls who, with a notebook, starts scribbling. "Maybe using a veil on the new girls, selling their first time to the highest bitter with a secretly disguised beauty... uhm, I can see it working."

I frown and am about to contemplate the meaning of her words when, behind her and reflecting her sudden excitement, nine big fluffy fox tails twist and turn behind her back, crimson red as the themed flowers put along this place seemed to have.

"Sorry for staying away Misaki, I’ve been very busy lately, but now we need to talk... privately, please." Ethan says beside me, polite yet casual enough, having respect for the fox lady in front of me and yet not enough to be distant to her, and at one look of hers the two girls stand up and leave.

What I did not expect is what comes next.

"You too Seraph." I am too shocked to move at first, but then I understand, of course, such a long time, of course he would want some alone time with her.

"I see." Even I am surprised by how cold my own voice sounds. "Enjoy your time together then, I will be waiting downstairs."

He seems somewhat surprised by my reaction, but I give him no time to shower me with his excuses before I leave, closing the door with a bang behind me.

That’s why I don’t hear Misaki words when she says: "You have been holding on your own for so long, is surprising, but you will have to pay for your choice of words... and sooner than later, tell him."

"...I know." Ethan says with a growly voice. "But not now... now I need you, here."

"So demanding... "She says, unsurprised when his fangs drop and pierce the skin.

But at that point I was far away already, fuming downstairs, mad at him and his treatment and for letting it affect me.

For letting myself care so much that it hurt.