Teaser

Ana's Flower and Gift Shop awaited Katharine's arrival as the bright morning sun illuminated the eastbound side-street, just off the main road. The dark-skinned woman smiled at the clean cobble stones on the road, the hanging sign painted with a wrapped box and flowers, and the flowers in large pots on either side of the door. The little store's neighbors were similarly decorated, and each had a large window to one side, so customers could peer in to see what goods awaited those with money to spend. Only light dust marred the picturesque shop fronts.

Katharine admired the sight through her sheer white blindfold for a few moments before she reached a hand into the pocket of her habit and approached Ana's shop. She unlocked the door and entered. The scent of flowers engulfed her with strange and pleasant warmth, and she flipped the sign in the window as she'd been instructed before she let herself look around. Dust motes, illuminated by the sun through the windows, danced in the air, and the young woman smiled.

Carefully, she inspected each item in the shop to ensure the tag with the numbers was in place. There were other shapes and lines, but she ignored those—she had only to know the prices, welcome the customers, and complete the transactions. Ana assured her the shop was easily watched—especially since she assumed only one customer would arrive: someone there to pick up a special order, but the man did not tell her at which time he would arrive, and Ana had a sick child at home who required her care.

While Katharine busied herself dusting away the obvious dirt with her habit's black sleeve, she hummed quietly—a hymn from the church she served. She straightened and walked behind the counter, where she began to practice her numbers by writing on the smooth surface with a finger. The grease from the digit left lines behind, and she made a note to clean that before she left.

Hours passed painfully slow and dragging. A few customers came, merely looking around, but the woman welcomed them with a smile and the words "Welcome to Ana Flower and Gift Shop!" The lack of transactions and the absence of the expected customer chipped slowly at Katharine's excitement, and soon her cheek and her rosary rested on the cool counter. Even with the tight coif and the drape over top, the cool surface sapped warmth from the side of her face. Her eyes began to slide shut as she slowly rubbed her cheek along the surface.

When Ana approached her in church about this, Katharine thought it would be a fun chance to meet new people, especially since they together belonged to the Order of Five Fields—a sect of Trinid worshipers who valued charity and benevolence, and claimed each member was virginal and chaste. Their church bragged about this supposed chastity, though most of the female members also secretly shared membership with the Sodden Hearts.

Sodden Hearts

Katharine's guild is called the Sodden Hearts. Their members are identified by a dripping heart branded somewhere on their body. Katharine's is just above her tailbone. Like all guilds, they pierce the ears of their members, however they don't require the guild insignia in the piercings, so many members simply wear two small hoops on each lobe, usually silver except for high-level members.

The guild works hard to ensure that the daily lives of its members are not interrupted, usually through keeping its customers in a strict confidentiality agreement. If they break the agreement, the guild breaks theirs, and shares all of the details of the offending customer's history with them. They also send bodyguards along with members who have been outed as members in the past, or who are 'high risk'.

In exchange, they take up to 95% of a member's profits. Supposedly, they put a third of their take into insurance for the girl for health and protective costs.

They serve two types of customers: low-to-medium income customers can get a girl from the guild by picking her up in the street. She's armed, and because of who she serves, she's low priority, so she doesn't have as much protection. Most of the whores are at this level. The other level is high-income customers, who are the rich and powerful merchants, politicians, and government officials. The whores who work this level are high priority, so the customers have extra steps to follow: they must send a messenger with an application for a night with a girl, and the girl says yay or nay on each offer. The messenger is sent back to the customer, who decides on a time and place, and the girl is sent at the time to the specified location, with any specially-requested clothing or gear in place.

Setting

The world into which Katherine was born is roughly Victorian in technology and morality. There are several religions in her area, most of which are fairly similar, and worship a holy trinity: sun (male), moon (female), and sky (neuter) in some form or another. They interpret the teachings differently in each 'sect', and have differing customs.

Most of the religions agree on one thing: non-humans are below humans. Some of the religions view monsters as creatures in need of the protection of a master. Some view them as creatures to be conquered and ruled. Still others view monsters as cattle for slaughter. Their domination over monsterkind varies, but only very radical groups consider monsters capable or worthy of human freedoms. Monsters are found in the wilderness areas of the world and in hiding, but it's not uncommon for someone of high power and wealth to own one or many monsters.

Monsters are ill-defined in this profile so that I can be relatively open in what sort a person brings forth. I tend to enjoy very masculine, amorphus, animalistic, or ambiguously-formed monsters. I only ask that 'monsters' not be a thin excuse to use a furry for the RP. I want emphasis especially on the inhuman and ugly, both mental and physical.