<em>Bert: Fucking Gulch Lobby</em><br/><br/>Things were finally, starting to calm down at the Fucking Gulch. There were a few more clients who hadn’t yet occupied a room and it was slowly bleeding from late, into early in the morning. As Bert felt his body calling for sleep, it became harder to ignore the sounds coming from upstairs. Dark was up to his old tricks, and from the sound of it wearing Indigo out for the rest of the night. Bert ground his teeth as the sounds of leather slapping flesh echoed down from upstairs, coupled with the familiar sound of flesh slapping flesh.<br/><br/>When Amethyst came up the stairs from the basement, she was a welcome distraction.<br/><br/>“Don’t trouble yourself over that one bit Miss Amethyst. I know you girls got a lot to worry about around here.” Bert smiled, leaning forward when Amethyst asked about his son. “Well, it’s different now. Him livin’ so far away. I miss him like crazy, and he doesn’t call near enough. But I guess that’s what happens when they move out. They don’t start carin’ again ‘till after the first stroke or heart attack.”<br/><br/>Bert sighed as he revealed the truth of his son’s departure.<br/><br/>“Last I heard, he was rushing some kinda black-student fraternity. But they gotta learn some kind of ‘Step-Dance’ thing before they can even be considered. You heard of this? He tried to explain it to me, but I don’t think I quite understand what any of the stuff he tells me has to do with the education I’m going broke to pay for.” Bert smiled, his attempt at levity. “Boys will be boys I guess.”<br/><br/>Just as Bert finished his bit about Noah, he heard tires skidding over dirt in the parking lot. He looked out the window, afraid that tonight was going to hold another late-night rush that might keep him busy past sun-up. He was relieved when he saw that it was Miss Violet, hurrying toward the door.<br/><br/>Bert moved out from behind his little table to open the door for her.<br/><br/>“Evening, Miss Violet.” Bert smiled, offering his hand to take her bags and coat.<br/><br/>Miss Violet just smiled and flashed a wink before breezing past him into the staff room. Bert smiled at Amethyst closing the front door behind her. He gestured in the direction Miss Violet had gone.<br/><br/>“You see? If I took it personal, I wouldn’t last long.” Bert smiled again, his smile warm, sincere and disarming; though it faded fast. “Though, if Fedora-Hat up there doesn’t wrap it up soon, I’m going to start taking that<em>real</em>personal.”<br/><br/>Bert motioned with his eyes toward the ceiling, just as the wailing moans reached their summit. At long last, the screams and sounds of bodies slapping together died out, telling Bert that Dark had blown his load at last. Though, Bert doubted very much that Indigo would be in any shape to see more clients tonight.