Tomichii led me up a large flight of stairs towards the back of the building, passing many different people as they came and went. I soon noticed the lack of women anywhere around. The few I did see were dressed in similar provocative fashions. More courtesans, just like me. Wherever there was a courtesan there was almost always some kind of bodyguard lingering nearby. They also held the attention of at least one man, often many men.
The men who weren’t with one of these, and even some of the men that were, often stared in my direction, looks of curiosity on their faces. I tried not to be distracted by them or by how vulnerable it made me feel, instead listening to Tomichii as he told me about the medical equipment his company made and how it saved lives, healed some of the people as they were resurrected and kept the current population living in their prime.
“What illness did you suffer from before you were frozen?” Tomichii asked as we walked into an elevator.
“Motor Neurone Disease,” I replied, noticing Yaru still silently accompanied us. My chaperone. Both knowing he was there, one of the only men who seemed to take no interest in my exposed body, and being shut inside a small metal box helped me relax a little.
“Quite a difficult illness to cure. Kioshi helped provide the breakthrough we needed. For a long time we couldn’t return all function if it had been lost for too long, but he didn’t give up.”
“I’m very grateful he didn’t.” I smiled and tried to look genuine. It was mostly true. But only mostly. Being a courtesan hadn’t been my idea of the future.
“I can only apologise the treatment is not any cheaper. It requires a great deal of skill and expertise to execute. Not to mention time. I believe the current average is over three days of constant surgery.”
I raised my eyebrows, shocked, but didn’t reply. No one had told me that part.
Before either of us could continue the conversation the elevator doors swung open again, revealing the next part of our little tour. I allowed Tomichii to lead me out into a foyer, several men waiting for different elevators.
As we got closer to the man nearest us, a well-built guy with ruffled hair and a cartoon character on his t-shirt, he looked up. His mouth fell open as soon as he spotted me, and his feet only took two steps more before he caught one on the other.
Everything he’d been carrying tumbled to the floor. Books thwumped, pages rippled, pens clattered and a paper bag with what appeared to be food thudded to the ground.
“Oh my. I’m so sorry, Tomichii,” the guy said as he bent, scrambling in his effort to grab the books again.
“That’s quite all right, Benton. Accidents happen,” Tomichii replied, scooping up a book that had fluttered towards him.
The paper bag had landed near my feet. I bent and grabbed it, more than a little grateful the attention wasn’t on me for a moment. The contents hadn’t quite come out, but the top had unfurled, revealing a set of glazed doughnuts. When I noticed the baker’s logo, I squealed.
“Oh my, these were my favourite brand,” I said as I handed them back. “I can’t believe they’re still around.”
“Yes. Uhhh. Thanks,” the guy replied, pausing like a deer in headlights, his cheeks crimson. He clutched the bag tighter, pointed to the elevator with one finger of the hand holding the books, almost dropping them again, and walked off.
For a second I watched him go, feeling his embarrassment as the elevator doors almost closed on him and he proceeded to perform an awkward back-and-forth shuffle.
“Auralia!” a voice startled me. A familiar voice.
I looked towards its source to see Bernice getting out of another of the elevators.
“Yaru... And Tomichii. How kind of you to take the time to help introduce Auralia. You’ve always had such a great heart for helping those less fortunate than yourself. Even when you’re so busy with important matters.” Bernice grinned and went to take Tomichii’s arm while I wasn’t attached to it, her back towards me, cutting me out of the social circle.
He gave her a smile back but didn’t move.
“And what brings you here, Bernice?” Yaru replied. “Has someone summoned you to entertain them? I find myself drawing a blank at the name of your companion here.”
Bernice laughed, a shrill, far too loud laugh. Tomichii still smiled, but he grew more and more rigid. At first I couldn’t move, and it appeared neither could he.
Think, Auralia. Move this onwards.
“Tomichii, you mentioned that there was a delightful view from one of the windows on this floor. Perhaps you’d be kind enough to point me in the right direction to view it. I’m sure I’ve taken up enough of your time, and I wouldn’t want to keep either you or Bernice away from pressing engagements. Bernice is right, you’ve already been so kind.” I gave him the most genuine smile I could manage. I wasn’t going to play Bernice’s game. If I was going to stand out, it would be because I didn’t stoop to anyone’s level. Because I didn’t react the way people expected me to.
Yaru raised his eyebrows, but I also saw the corners of his mouth twitch upwards. I hadn’t displeased him.
“Oh, I couldn’t possibly let you find it alone. I love people’s reaction to it almost as much as I love seeing it. Come, let me take you there now. Forgive me, Bernice, but my duty calls me elsewhere.”
Tomichii extracted his arm from her clutches and offered it to me once more.
I gave him a small bow before taking it again. Once more, Yaru fell in behind me.
So far so good, I thought. Tomichii chose to come with me over Bernice and I didn’t have to beg. I don’t completely suck at this courtesan thing.
My mouth fell open. Tomichii chuckled as he supported me. We were stood on a balcony overlooking the edge of a large garden. The sound of a waterfall filled the air, providing a perfect background to the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind and birdsong from various trees. Some of the trees were so large they shaded areas of the balcony with their canopy.
It would have been beautiful anywhere, but over forty stories high on top of a building, it was breathtaking.
“Thank you,” I said, meaning every word. “I used to love walking among trees before I was frozen. It was one of the things I missed most when I had MND.”
“You’re very welcome.” He smiled at me, our eyes meeting. His shone, genuinely pleased with my reaction.
“How do you ever leave here?” I asked as a small bird fluttered onto the balcony railing not far from us.
“Sometimes reluctantly, but there are times when the alternative has a beauty all of its own.” Tomichii looked at me, his eyes leaving my face to admire me, but nothing about it felt creepy or lustful. The same look of peaceful enchantment he looked at the garden with he now gave me.
“Would it be bold of me to request to come back? You’ve been so kind.” I said, not keeping the hope out of my voice. He laughed.
“No. I’d be honoured. But come, we haven’t finished our little tour. There’s the relaxation floor. You’d be most welcome there any time you weren’t engaged elsewhere.”
I let myself be led along, my arm back in Tomichii’s. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a grin as it moved across Yaru’s face. Something amused him, either about what had just happened or what was about to.
Given Tomichii’s last words, I could only assume I was about to be shown something of interest. I felt a flutter of nerves deep in my stomach and instinctively clutched Tomichii’s arm a little tighter.
As the elevator opened, I was greeted with the busiest-looking floor yet. Many men and women came and went, almost all the women courtesans of some kind and the men well-dressed. Not everyone had the Japanese look to them, but I often heard the language as people passed by, speaking it.
Beyond all this was a set of double doors. Two men stood poised at either side, their hands clutched in front of them and glasses over their eyes. Slightly farther in were two posts, each with a scanner on the top. As people approached, they held out their wrists above it. The doors then swung open to admit them, letting out the noise of much chatting and laughter from inside until they snapped shut over it again.
I raised my eyebrows. This was a secure area within an already secure building. But why? A part of me wanted to turn back. Wanted to run away screaming. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like what was beyond.
“The identity chip you were given back at the hospital should be working now,” Yaru said as we drew closer. “Try swiping it over the sensor.”
Tomichii motioned for me to step forward and try it. With the pair of them waiting expectantly, and a small queue of others wanting to move through as well, I did my best to hide my fear and reached my hand out as I’d seen others do.
Almost immediately the doors clicked and swung open.
“Fantastic,” Tomichii said. “It recognises you already.”
But I barely took in his words, my mouth falling open at what I saw. It was a large lounge, the lighting dim but not so dim I couldn’t see the entirety of the space.
Everywhere there was at least one man there was also at least one courtesan. Some merely talked and drank or ate together, but others were engaged in more intimate activities. One table nearby, a courtesan was on her knees in front of a man sprawled back into a reclining chair. Her head bobbed back and forth in his lap, one of his hands on the back of her head, the other under the front of her chest.
I watched as he obviously orgasmed, doing little to temper his enjoyment and resulting groan of euphoria.
I looked away, my eyes stopping at the next courtesan held up against the wall by a tall man as he thrust against her body, deep between her legs. She appeared to be enjoying it, her moans forming an undertone to the rest of the room.
The bit that struck me the most was how normal everyone else was treating this. No one seemed to care. Some were even openly watching. A few touched themselves as they did.
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