Siren lessons at Watersong (for Lara)

In less than two days Bach had finished the music and text of three different songs. Of course, it was annoying that he had to visit the lair of the beast to make it so, but it was better than the discomfort of not finding what you needed.

He only wished that he had told Lara that he couldn't do more than one hour a week. Or one hour every two weeks. He wasn't looking forward to two hours of threats, offenses and rudeness, no matter how hot the woman was, how sweet the memory or the sex they had.

"Time for class!", Bach yelled from the basement. "Ready when you are!"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

bachjones

Everything else wouldn't even need bother asking, but this Lara Quinn, professional demon. And yet ..unshared stories are lesser stories.

"Sure", he grumbles. "Don't say anything. Don't applaud. And definitely don't think I need a review at the end of it."

"This was something I've been walking around with for a while. I don't know if the music is complete yet."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CseWDWHEDo

From:

asharpertongue

Lara nods and listens. It's a lovely song and he lends it a heavy, thicker tone, especially with his sire voice lacing through it. She lets herself drift in it, enjoying the way his words wrap around her.

When he finishes she smiles but keeps quiet as he'd requested.

From:

bachjones

He blinks at her. "Are you going to leave now, or do I have to carry on?"

Bach tries to find his bravado, but the story left him a little bit frazzled. Too sensitive. Usually he knows which story to pick. "Because I usually get money if it's more than one song."

From:

asharpertongue

She smiles at the joke about money but doesn't rise to it. The last thing she wants is to piss him off by actually offering it.

"You don't have to carry on. But I'd like to stay if you do. If that's okay?"

From:

bachjones

"You don't have anything better to do? Rule the world or something?"

From:

asharpertongue

She scoffs. "Oh please. I have a hard enough time running my bar and the Heart of Gold. Someone else can worry about the world. That's not my purview."

From:

bachjones

"What's the heart of Gold?" He strums the guitar, knows how it's his lifeline to sanity. "Your mob name?"

From:

asharpertongue

She laughs. "No but that's a good one. I might have to use that if I ever don't want to explain what it actually is." She pulls out a card and hands it to him silently. There's just a number and a picture of a small gold ring on it. "Heart of Gold is my other business. A companionship service."

From:

bachjones

"You're a madam? I don't think I can even pretend to be surprised. So everyone who works here is a .."

He strings the introduction of Roxanne to not finish his sentence.

From:

asharpertongue

She smiled and hummed along. "No - the two businesses don't often cross over where the employees are concerned. Obviously Watersong is a good place for my companions to meet potential clients and start or end engagements, but other than that..." Settling herself more comfortably she watched his reaction. "My staff are about seventy five percent siren, twenty percent human and the rest are witches. All genders, all preferences etcetera. Only people with the card I just gave you can use the service though. We're pretty exclusive."

From:

bachjones

"Exclusive company."

He changes to an upbeat version of Against All Odds. "Your Heart of Gold stuff, I guess. Do your waiters ever decide to change their mind and want to start making more money on their backs?"

"Here", he offers her the card. "Wouldn't want to foul your pool."

From:

asharpertongue

She holds up her hands. "Keep it. Like I said, it's an exclusive club. We don't offer them to just anyone."

She runs her hands over the skin of a drum next to her and tapped out a rhythm with her nails. "To answer your question, yes - it happens occasionally. And about forty percent of my people don't actually work on their backs. You'd be surprised how many people are actually honestly just looking for company. There's a gentleman, older man, who just likes to talk and tell stories with a younger man. No grandchildren but a wealth of life experience, you see. His companion has taken to writing them down. The book will ensure the older mans comfort in his old age." She shrugs. "It's not always seedy."

From:

bachjones

"I don't pay for sex. Or company. Or book writers."

Bach's distracted by her hands, her voice, and he hates it. Does she really have to clog up every part of life?

"So, lot of people from town? Because I don't think I've met one happy couple or family here."

From:

asharpertongue

Chuckling she shook her head. "I didn't suggest that you would."

She smiled at him and wagged a chiding finger. "I wouldn't be a very good madam if I told you about my clients."

From:

bachjones

"One song isn't enough to get into your super exclusive club. I don't want to owe you more than I already do."

He shrugs. "Who would I tell?"

From:

asharpertongue

"Well you can't be too careful. Information is valuable after all." Smoothing her hand over the drum, she shrugged. "My opinion is enough to get you in though. And you'd have to pay if you used the service." She raised an eyebrow and grinned mischievously. "Of course you'd be paid if you decided to work for the service."

From:

bachjones

"Yes, value. Let's not forget a person's worth." He swaps to Paint It Black, making the guitar squeal.

"That's why I said I don't need it. What am I going to do with a fancy little card if I don't use what it's for?"

From:

asharpertongue

"Don't put words in my mouth. I said that information was valuable. That's all."

She shrugs. "Keep it. You never know when you might need it."

From:

bachjones

"I can think of other things to put in there."

He unbuttoned his shirt and and pushed it against the slightly sticky paint. "Now I'm sure I'll never forget about the carrot and stick connecting me to miss Quinn and her Heart of Gold."