sistermagnetic: (Default)
Magne Hikiishi ([personal profile] sistermagnetic) wrote in [community profile] ph_logs2024-08-09 09:02 pm

Velvet, Ambrosia, and Silk

Who: Big Sis Magne & anyone 20+
What:
The official opening of the first proper entrepreneurship in Pumpkin Hollow!
When:
Late July and onward
Where:
the newly built, remodeled, and furnished VAS
Warning(s):
General warning for sexually explicit talk pertaining to the job functions of the business. Underage characters will not be able to enter via an enchantment on all entrances that stops them in their tracks. There are no exceptions. (My younger characters aren't allowed in, so neither are yours.)


Pre-opening Staff Party
Perhaps Magne talked it over with you while construction was underway, perhaps you heard about it through the grapevine, perhaps you were pinged thirdhand while looking for a position after newly arriving in town. Either way, if you were invited to come and see the newly-built, elegant multi-story brothel, a couple of nights before she had scheduled the official opening of the business proper, the Madame of this particular business will be throwing a small party to get her workers, friends, and little family together. It's a celebration of good fortune and tenacity. It's also a tour to let those that would be staying on the premises claim their rooms and start to talk over decorating with her.

The main parlor is pristine, with a bar and a few stools stationed around it, with bottles of liquor arranged behind it on sturdy shelves. Purchases from The Limoncello, and supplemental bottles from Erin Peters' collection. There are a few chairs, a few cushions arranged around a low tea table, poofy armchairs and footrests to go with them, loveseats and a couch. Around the walls are a couple of portraits already, one of the Madame herself, with an enchanted magnolia blossom attached to it softly glowing due to her presence in the building. This, she will explain, is the indicator for who is on staff at any given time, bending to the will of the person in the portrait. If they don't want it known that they're in the building, it won't show. First and foremost, it is to tell patrons who is available on staff. Hers is to let them all know when she is there. It will almost certainly be permanently lit. She will always be there for them.

There is a kitchen off the main parlor, specifically that that had come with the front of house that was originally just a normal two-storey home that Magne had built her business onto. It's not only functional, but now supporting the production of light foods for the gathering, with more supplies due to come in in the next couple of days. She had asked Max Maximum to be there a bit earlier than the rest to help her prepare for it all, knowing that he would want to be part of the hospitality for the event.

Everybody under her employ, regardless of position, would be walked through the rules and the security measures. Nobody would be in danger, so long as this was her business. Not if she could help it.

If Magne spots you on your own when you're in attendance, she will come and say hello. You may be the recipient of a big, squeezy hug and a "Hello darling!". Maybe even a kiss on the cheek. Sorry not sorry about lipstick smudges.

The Grand Opening
The wards are set. The rules are in place. A list of names is available with their own flowers beside them in place of the eventual portraits that will line the walls of the front of house. The curtains are drawn and the lights are soft and a radio plays softly from the shelves behind the bar. Everything is warm and inviting, and Magne? Magne is beaming. Her business is officially open.

"It's really happening," she says to herself, not for the first time since the construction was completed. She stands at the end of the bar, her hands clasped around one another mostly hidden by the wide sleeves of the kimono that she had had designed by committee to fit her, deep red with pink and gold embroidery of flowers and vines, the sash tied at her back. Her hair is pinned up in neat, elegant rolls and her makeup done subtly, and she looks every part the Madame that she decided she would be.

The rules are pretty standard, all things considered: consent can be recalled at any time. Refunds will only be given if all parties are in agreement that such a thing is called for. Abuse of her employees will be stopped by force if need be, and that will be done by Magne herself. This is not something that you want to happen to you. There will be nobody on the premises under twenty years of age, barring extremely specific gatherings to be announced at a later date. There is no "three strikes" in this building; testing your luck is not something that you will walk away from looking particularly pretty.

Welcome to the Velvet, Ambrosia, and Silk. Whatever your pleasure may be, it will be seen to.

(Well, unless you want something from a vampire, in which case you'll be put into contact with Lord Erik Osborne. They have an agreement.)

The Off Hours
When not at work, Magne can often be found upstairs, in her own personal living space constructed with a soundproof layer between her loft-like home and her business. Her furniture from when she had first acquired the house has been moved up and the remodel has been completed to put in a small tamaya. There are small pencil portraits of the people that she loves framed there, and the little, square-ish figure of one stationed just under his portrait looking somewhat out of place there among the fine wooden shelves. She can be found in front of this every now and then, knelt in proper seiza, offering her fallen friends quiet prayers and updates on the way that things have gone.

There is a door buzzer that can get her attention if you want her downstairs, but some people are welcome to simply come up to see her when they want to. Just step around a curtained corner and pull on a braided silk cord to signal your arrival.
spaghettification: (professor face)

Grand Opening

[personal profile] spaghettification 2024-08-10 06:05 am (UTC)(link)
What does one wear, to one's first visit to a brothel? How does one act? Siebren's nervous, overdressed and quiet, taking in every detail of the new space with the curious eye of an anthropologist. The nagging voice in the back of his head says he really ought not be here.

But he came, anyway.
pineapplesalmon: (genuinely happy)

Mostly Open Prompts

[personal profile] pineapplesalmon 2024-08-10 06:50 am (UTC)(link)
[Pre-opening Staff Party, Open]
César isn't staff or friend but family. But he's too exhilirated for Magne to process that, radiating pride. Magne's amazing. All he did was accelerate her plans by filling in missing pieces of her knowledge, investing in her business, and helping out with remodeling and cleaning. She would've gotten here on her own, he's certain, but he's happy he could be a part of this.

"My girlfriend's amazing!" César's too excited to remember to say hello first, unsurprisingly.


[The Grand Opening, Open]
Of course César's here today, too. He's a little more useless today, though. César has tucked himself into a corner with one of the poofy armrests. He tries to read, but can't keep his eyes off Magne for long, averting them again to give people privacy.

César also makes sure to order at the kitchen at regular intervals, not wanting to take up a seat without spending money. He's so besotted with the way Magne looks that he bumps right into someone. "Oh! Oh—I'm sorry!"


[The Off Hours, Closed to Magne]
César can come and go as he pleases, but he still pulls the silk cord. He finds it funny. But it also gives him a chance to steel his nerves, his heart pounding. He's got a big enough jewelry box for a necklace that he's fiddling around with his hand, nervous enough he forgot to hide it behind his back. Will she like them?
Edited (... yes I just fixed one return I forgot to do shhhhhhh.) 2024-08-10 06:52 (UTC)
spaghettification: (startled)

[personal profile] spaghettification 2024-08-10 07:14 am (UTC)(link)
He startles slightly when touched, but relaxes when he realizes who it is greeting him. "Magne."

She'd calmed him down once at the Oak and Iron. It doesn't actually surprise him that she's stepping into that role once more. But she looks more confident now, as the madame instead of just a barmaid bouncer sort. "Congratulations on your accomplishment. It really is a lovely house."
stonecoldtop: (gaze)

Grand Opening

[personal profile] stonecoldtop 2024-08-10 01:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Perhaps it could be called scoping out the competition, perhaps it's simply supporting his fellows in the industry. (Or perhaps, even, he's looking for a change of scenery) Whatever the reason, George is attending with a genuine—if restrained—joy carved into his face. He loves to see sex work celebrated for what it is, and forced into the shadows, hidden behind locked doors and hushed voices.

He keeps to the sidelines for most of the evening, though. Nursing a drink and watching others mingle. He doesn't want to draw too much attention and accidentally give the impression that he's here to poach clients, after all.
spaghettification: (the thinker)

[personal profile] spaghettification 2024-08-10 03:22 pm (UTC)(link)
"At some point in the future, I may contract the services of a professional, though there's a few talks to be had before then. Your staff, do they have preparation for clients with arthritis or other conditions that may complicate their work?"

The physical is easier to discuss than anything else.
pineapplesalmon: (a pause from science)

[personal profile] pineapplesalmon 2024-08-11 05:23 pm (UTC)(link)
César enjoys spoiling her, but this gift—like many others—is also his way of helping her catch up to where she should be in life at her age. His nerves vanish momentarily at her smile; he waves back with a stupid little grin on his face and follows her in, taking off his shoes automatically.

Then he looks down to realize he didn't hide the box, laughing softly, before offering it to her properly with both hands faintly trembling. "... I was saving these to celebrate a very special occasion. Wear them whenever you like."

He tangentially wonders again if she's ever had any fine jewelry of her own before, which makes his heart briefly clench.
spaghettification: (laughter)

[personal profile] spaghettification 2024-08-11 05:32 pm (UTC)(link)
"I would not be disappointed to visit you for over-the-clothes services if that's a serious offer." His smile is warm and blossoms easily. "I was nervous, coming here, if I may be honest."

He suspects he's not the only one nervous in the room, either.
spaghettification: (Default)

[personal profile] spaghettification 2024-08-12 12:16 am (UTC)(link)
"Well, I absolutely refuse to monopolize your time on opening night. That simply would not do. So if I come in for a massage, it'll likely be after work another night." But he'll make a point of it, in the next few weeks.
stonecoldtop: (:))

[personal profile] stonecoldtop 2024-08-12 03:02 am (UTC)(link)
"Something like that," George laughs, inclining his head in acknowledgement, "This is a beautiful place, you clearly have a real passion and respect for the work. I'd be a fool not to be at least a little interested in joining that."
maximumcake: (pic#14146325)

Max Maximum | OTA

[personal profile] maximumcake 2024-08-12 09:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Staff Party
Magne barely had to ask, because Max would have insisted on showing up early anyway. This is the first party he's gotten to help cater for a quite a while and he's as eager as a puppy playing with a favorite toy.

"I made full use of my magic," he says proudly as he goes about laying out the various finger food options he'd prepared in advance. "Managed to spread out all the cooking over a few days that way." Good thing, too, because there's a lot of it.

Max spent a months planning the menu for this new venture. He wanted to strike the perfect balance. It's hard to argue he failed that assignment when laid out before them on the food bar are small plates intended to capture the very essence of Velvet, Ambrosia, and Silk. There are crisp medallions of fresh cucumbers topped with sweet and spicy marinated smoked salmon chunks that melt like butter on the tongue, with a sprinkle of sesame seeds on top for look and a little extra flavor. Next to those are the deep fried and breaded strips of chicken meat paired with simple sweet chili and soy based sauce for dipping. There are fried mushrooms or sweet potato slices, too, as a vegetarian options. Next up are the toasted slices of baguette spread with rosemary seasoned goat cheese, with pomegranate seeds on top for some tartness and a drizzle of honey to finish it sweet. Such decadence feels right at home here. (Though, for the less adventurous eaters, Max has also put out some simple buttered garlic bread versions, too, with and without the cheese.)

For the sweeter side, he's keeping with the theme by offering a delicious ambrosia salad full of oranges and cherries. He's also whipped up some chocolate silk pie and red velvet cupcakes crowned with cream cheese frosting. Last, but not least, he's included the deceptively simple castella, or Japanese honey sponge cake, that he first baked for Magne as thanks when he'd only just been starting to know her. That's a little nod to their friendship from him.

"Eat up! I want to know what you all think," he announces excitedly. "I'm still rounding out the menu so let me know if you have some ideas to add on!" In case anyone is wondering, yes, he does have a notebook in his pocket to take actual notes.

The Grand Opening
Max is here for the grand opening dressed in his best navy blue suit, with a cute and lacy black apron donned over it. His name appears on the list of available staff and that flower is glowing, but if you approach to inquire about a session with him, it won't be quite the same as other offerings in the house.

"I can offer you an evening of pampering and decadence for your senses," he says enticingly, "pleasure, but not the traditional kind. No sex, but I promise you'll have a good time. If you're still interested, I can tell you more."
lordoftheozarks: by gronckle @ij (Default)

Lord Erik Osborne | OTA

[personal profile] lordoftheozarks 2024-08-12 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Of course Erik is going to show up. He and Magne have a wonderful professional relationship and he does want to visibly support her in this. He even brought some brass with him in case he sees something on the menu worth trying (excluding Max, obviously.)

"It's even more luxurious in here than I anticipated," Erik says loudly as he crosses the threshold. "Congratulations are in order, I think."

spaghettification: (eyebrow)

Grand Opening

[personal profile] spaghettification 2024-08-12 09:49 pm (UTC)(link)
"Please, do tell me more." Siebren's doing his usual floating thing, though he's closer to the ground than usual, in an attempt not to loom over anyone working here. "I need to find ways to relax, but sex doesn't have to be the point."
pineapplesalmon: (a quick suggestion)

Absolutely slams into the staff party

[personal profile] pineapplesalmon 2024-08-12 11:15 pm (UTC)(link)
"It's a good thing Magne's bed is big enough for both of us, because there's no way I'm walking home tonight with all the food you made." César laughs warmly. "I think the menu's amazing as it is. But if you ever get bored outside of the menu and want to try something new for yourself, Magne and I have been starting to play with fusing our respective cuisines. Japanese, Mexican, and Argentine."

Little does he know that his Serena Eterna self offered Max something similar.
pineapplesalmon: (it worked!)

[personal profile] pineapplesalmon 2024-08-12 11:39 pm (UTC)(link)
César's going to let Magne handle that initial greeting, but he does approach Erik a little while after Erik's arrived, positively beaming. "Look at her! Look at this place!"
cacophonish: MOPI (scene17671)

the grand opening

[personal profile] cacophonish 2024-08-13 02:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Jeff doesn't show up because he wants to try any of the services. Pleasure's easy. Bodies are easy. But he likes to be around people, and even though he's never been to a brothel before, it's close enough to familiar territory. He would have been at home here, back when he was desperately seeking a home.

And maybe it's that kind of lingering, human sentiment that draws him here. Or maybe it's just curiosity. Maybe he's just scoping out future meal tickets.

In any case, Jeff shows up at the grand opening, all dazed smiles and sunshine.

"Whoa."

He takes the place in, from the people to the decor.

"Duuuuude. This place is nice."

He glances down at his own outfit, the simple shirt and trousers he arrived in, dressed up and embellished with little trinkets and colorful scraps of fabric for, like, his hair, or a makeshift belt, or bracelet, or whatever.

"I feel like I should put on a suit," he adds with a laugh.
lordoftheozarks: by gronckle @ij (Default)

[personal profile] lordoftheozarks 2024-08-15 02:01 am (UTC)(link)
"I am looking," Erik replies with a proud smile. "You've both done a wonderful job with this place. It will be the envoy of the town."
lordoftheozarks: by gronckle @ij (laugh)

[personal profile] lordoftheozarks 2024-08-15 02:04 am (UTC)(link)
He may be cool to the touch but his expression radiates warmth for her as she leans in to smooch his cheek.

"I think you have accomplished that masterfully. The precautions you have put in place here would rival even the modern era I know."
maximumcake: (Default)

[personal profile] maximumcake 2024-08-15 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
"Think of it like an intimate dinner show. I'll spend two hours serving you a unique multi-course meal where the flavors are tailored perfectly to your taste and everything is plated as decadently as possible. Like a choreographed show, I'll bring each dish out one at a time and explain the best features of it to you. I'll pair it with a specially paired beverage too, alcoholic or non-alcoholic.

"I'll keep you company while you dine and perform for you with as many or as little clothes as you desire, but no touching. I can sing and dance, too." He's been practicing that and he's very proud about it. "I always save the best for last, and I promise the dessert will leave you hungry for more."

Having finished his well-practiced pitch, he leans back slightly to flutter his eyelashes at the man. What does he say? Will he be Max's first customer?

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