<div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;">The Next Morning</span></div><br/>"Ooooh, fis is gud," Neferi said through a mouthful of blueberry muffin. She swallowed, "you should try one too, Muni!", and promptly stole a wedge of freshly-peeled orange. She turned to Utana, "Can I have the recipe?"<br/><br/>She was pleasantly surprised by the first client of the day - she hadn't supposed he'd really take her up on her invitation! Telling the goldfish to perform a few simple tricks and acting as an impromptu translator between it and her client was a nice change of pace from the usual services she was expected to provide. "Nice guess... but no," she giggled when he suggested she was a druid. Leaning down she wrapped her oiled fingers around his shaft and began to tug. "Come back tomorrow and try again... if you get it right, I'll give you a little something special," she purred as sultrily as she could, while squeezing her bosom between her arms to emphasize her cleavage.<br/><br/>She didn't let her smile drop until he was out of sight - and then when no one was looking, she allowed herself a moment to relax and take a deep breath, before recomposing herself to greet the next customer in line.<br/><br/><hr/><br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;">Hot Beverages, Cold Dessert: Lunch with the Catgirl Trio</span></div><br/>"That's my sister for you," Neferi giggled while looking at the hand of cards, after Munira recounted her misdeeds and the trouble she got herself in. "Me, I chose more sensible pursuits, like alchemy which you've seen already, and dancing. Oh, and raise."<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Poker</div><div class="spoiler_body">Bluff (with inspiration): 22<br/>Sense Motive (with free inspiration): 40<br/></div></div><br/><br/>It involved much less blood, but Neferi found that many of the same principles she used to survive the fighting pits back home could also be profitably employed in the game of poker. Keeping a straight face to avoid telegraphing her hand and observing her opponents to read their next moves - it might have been just a game, but Neferi was taking it as seriously as she did any activity partook, playing for keeps!<br/><br/>"It's just beginner's luck," she said humbly as they wrapped up the game, her last hand on the table - full house. "But I got a question about rule one..." Most of their advice had made sense, and she only had something to ask about the first rule: "I get why falling in love is a bad idea for both sides, it's more trouble than it's worth, but what if it's a client powerful or rich enough to make it worth it... but that's too remote to worry about practically, like getting a royal flush, I guess?"<br/><br/><hr/><br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;">The Big Job</span></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Today's happy endings</div><div class="spoiler_body">Perform (sex) (with inspiration): 21<br/><em>Cum</em>ulative tips to date: 4 gp, 4 sp<br/></div></div><br/><br/>Neferi was settling into the routine, and she didn't even flinch when one of her clients squeezed her ass while he moaned and came all over her hand. They left looking refreshed, with more of a spring in their step than when they entered, which the marid found a little surprising considering how she had just milked them dry...<br/><br/>At the end of the day, though, reality hit her like the cold jugful of water she poured over head in the bath. The clinking coins in her hand, totaling a meager three gold pieces' worth, would have been spare change even to the impoverished house of al-Samara only a week ago - and now they were all she had to show for a whole day of labor. She did the calculations in her head: they owed 953 gold pieces and assuming they could pay it off in about three months... that meant that she and her sister were making 5 gp a day net, after room and board and whatever fees Lady Awan came up with. Or even less, if they were expected to supplement the debt payments with their own tips.<br/><br/>Naturally, her thoughts went back to the poster she had seen.<em>Need at least 2 exotic and experienced women to attend a social function at the Pathfinder Lodge. Starts at 8 PM, must be willing to stay the night. Good social skills and knowledge of politics and courtly manners a must. Expect there to be heavy drinking, no teetotalers.</em>And she knew Haruka and Miyako, they could be trusted to pay. It was as though the job had been custom tailored for the marids' qualifications - except for one glaring problem: experience, of which neither Neferi nor Munira possessed enough of.<br/><br/>"Hey, Muni, what do you think of Haruka and Miyako's job? 200 gold pieces will cut off a fifth of the debt and our time here - or even more, if we're being charged interest on the outstanding balance. But we need experience, and that means... that means giving up our pride, and doing... doing whatever it takes. To be honest with ourselves, it'll happen sooner or later... at least this way, we'll get the most out of it." It was as much to convince herself as her sister. "Anyways, I was thinking we should talk to Haruka and Miyako tomorrow to see if we can't reserve the job, and then I'll talk to Lady Awan about... getting the experience we'll need... before the deadline."