Celestial Dreams.
It is one of the top 10 brothels within the Capital City. Even when they do not hold the rank of number one in their community, so many people flock to their halls of pleasure like bees to a pot of fresh honey.
The brothel was incredibly popular amongst the common folk, even within the history of the Jade Empire. There have been a few chapters in life, where Emperors personally invited them to perform at his birthday. They weren’t just women who bed anyone, they were high class entertainers who were talented in all sorts of performance from dance, to music, and even literature. Every now and then there have always been one or two Courtesan who can be a surprise of the ages with what they can do outside of the bedroom.
The best girls in Celestial Dreams were given the title of ‘Flower Princess’ by the masses, for their divine beauty and heavenly elegance. The elite. They possess many lovely tricks up and down their sleeves, so enthralling and fascinating that they need not always remove their pants to charm their clients.
There was even rumour of a Crowned Prince gifting an entire county just to convince one of those Flower Princess to stay at one of his private estates for an entire summer. Same rumour has it, that Flower Princess had enough class to simply say ‘no’ and get away without losing her head. Of course, no one knows the true details as the Imperial Historian Department made sure that piece of royal history was deleted – thoroughly.
These Flower Princess of Celestial Dreams were well loved. Some called them idols of the world, some called them earthly goddesses. Many revere them as geniuses in the arts and passion.
Fae Fae, was one of them. Bright and pleasant.
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She was someone who knew how to make men forget about the horrors and strife of the world without touching a bed. She could make her cheeks glow and sparkle like a crystal under the light from just a single sip of wine, a feature many of her clients love to watch and tease with another cup to make her sparkle harder.
Clean and silky hair as vibrant as red coral, a soft cotton cloth hugged around her head with every thread well worn by the bittersweet tale in her life, and eyes that make others feel they were greeted by a gentle ocean of tranquility.
Fae Fae never received a proper education, but she had a sharp mind and a flexible tongue – literal or not.
If there ever was an upcoming war between great nations, she would be the best candidate to act as the negotiator. She had this strange talent to share a few sweet words between the ears of sworn enemies, to suddenly make them host a grand festival together and even dance with arms around each other like they were long lost brothers finally reunited!
Caring. Understanding. Patient.
Even if lonely scholars drone on about their high ideals, how the world should behave, or talk about the weirdest of academic topics, Fae Fae knew how to smile and nod without judgment. Never a single yawn from her. And if a client becomes enraged over the pettiest of things, or depressed over the biggest of woes, Fae Fae had the innate ability to be whatever woman they please to bring them peace and consolation.
Everyone called Fae Fae a genius.
In reality, she spends many days and nights behind closed doors practicing the hell out of everything she was known to be good at. She was not born in a grand music academy, so every instrument she knew now were cultivation of countless of practice, cutting her finger tips, and private tutors with expensive rates.
She was not born from a family of dancers, neither did she had the privilege to go to a proper dancing school. Her performances is a testament of simply bowing her head to her previous brothel seniors and retired legends to learn only bits and pieces – then filling in the gaps with some creative footwork and twisting of her slender body.
Of course no one ever followed progress, only the results, so she rarely bothers to explain the science of her ‘genius’ in front of others. And whenever she was showered in praises and admiration, she secretly thank the many people who helped her to reach this point in life.
Fae Fae went by many names, both appropriate and inappropriate.
There was one title her clients, patrons, and fans would present to her and hold it with the highest of respects in their art.
‘The Sword Fairy.’
Fae Fae’s specialty was dancing with a sword. Even if she did not possess any martial arts skills, magic cultivation, nor did she have any formal training from a martial art sect or performing hall, she combined trial and error, experience, and wisdom of others to invent a series of dramatic swordplay that would inspire others.
Be it stage, a balcony, or even the rails, she would show her perfect form, balance, and precision. Her personal favourite place to perform was:
On top of the brothel’s rooftop.
Fae Fae would always tie this exotic red silk scarf to the end of her sword. Every spin and dance she creates would make the curtains flutter around like an angel seeking the face of her lover. A red so vibrant, people can see every detail of it’s flight even from hundreds of miles away.
Fae Fae was skillful enough to boldly toss her blade into the night air, make it flip and tumble with elegance by pulling at the cloth like a string puppet, then whipping the blade back to land into her palm without slicing herself.
She always performed six stories above the ground, with 1000 pair of eyes witnessing her live performance. No wire work, no safety net, not even a stunt double, only pure skill and complex acrobatics across the loose and uneven roof tiles.
It was not to show off her prowess neither was it a gimmick to help her stand out.
Not everyone can visit the Celestial Dreams, obviously for various reasons. A house of pleasure where a single visit would cost at least 100 silver, enough to buy 10 horses if they had the coffers for it. Although the purpose of the business was to sell the body, with a place as high class and exquisite as Celestial Dreams, it also sold performances to wow the crowd – an experience of a lifetime other than raw skinship.
Fae Fae wanted to perform for everyone, regardless if they were clients of the night or people outside of the brothel walls. Deep down, there is that passion of an artists who wished to share her craft to those around her, to the world. To bring a sense of hope, creativity, and put a smile on others face.
What better way to let near everyone in the Capital watch her performance, than dancing with a sword on top of the highest building in the Capital district.
People who knew of her legends would always race to the nearest rooftop or balcony so they could catch a glimpse of her heavenly sword dance. From start to end, cheers and applause could not stop. Every step, flip, twirl, were all perfect in their eyes. Seeing the looks of awe on their faces paid off, from all the countless nights of choreographing in a corner of her room until her hands turned red and her feet chapped and bleeding.
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The amount of dedication she puts into her performance, to make others happy, be it friend or foe was well respected. The patrons of all classes hail her as a goddess incarnate. It always made her blush and become conscious, another endearing trait.
At the same time, such fame and recognition always drew ire from her fellow Courtesans.
What does she have that they do not? They always wondered. They were prettier than Fae Fae, smarter than Fae Fae, knew more exotic and foreign performances than Fae Fae, not to mention they had better money makers than the so called Sword Fairy!
However, just seeing Fae Fae dance with a sword and silk on the roof, make any instrument sing and dance with a touch of her fingers, even reciting over 1000 poems in her drunken inspiration...they give up hating her and can only admire this woman’s hard work.
Not to mention, Fae Fae was smart when it comes to human relationships. She knew how to bribe her co-workers with fancy jewellery, exotic hairpins, or limited edition cloth!
The Sword Fairy was the type to make more friends than she could enemy. Or make bad guys just jelly in their leg after she shares a passionate night with them. She always knew exactly how to make a lonely heart feel loved and respected without putting on airs.
Pure honesty through and through...
...So, it can be very difficult to imagine her not being punctual to her next performance.
In the recent weeks Fae Fae had been working on a new sword dance, one that would surpass all of her previous work. Some rumoured it was going to be her greatest masterpiece. Of course when word got out, everyone had to come to Celestial Dreams to bear witness of this masterpiece!
However on the night of that schedule performance, people didn’t expect to be entertained with a series of variety shows.
Other Courtesans and Flower Princess would all come up to their regular stages on the ground, strumming the koto and guzheng, playing the lute or shamisen, one of them even does a stageplay worthy of an opera house.....But every now and then, the audience cannot help but look up and eye the rooftop of the Celestial Dreams.
Empty. No special lightning, no fancy decorations just...a regular roof.
As mentioned, everyone looked at the results and never the progress. So while they kept their eyes on the front stage, they were blind to the chaos that was happening in the backstage.
“MAMA-SAN! MAMA-SAN” The Brothel Owner called for his assistant. “Come over here, quick!”
The assistant was a Courtesan Mother, someone who has been in Celestial Dream the longest, has the most experience, and had been promoted as a chief manager of all the younger entertainers and servers within the brothel.
Managers like her were often referred to as Mama-San, a borrowed term coined to represent the managers of renown and elegant Geisha Brothels in the lands of the Taiko Shogunate. As Mama-San sounded cute, endearing, and easy to remember, any manager in a brothel would carry such a work title.
The Mama-san of Celestial Dreams came running while holding her entire late 50s on her short legs. She dashed across the backstage area to the owner faster than a man on fire. “Fae Fae is not in her room! And yes, I checked EVERYWHERE in the brothel! Can’t find her at all!”
“Where the hell is she!?” The Brothel Owner gasped in panic, trying to keep his screams down from leaking onto the front stage. “She’s never late once in her life, why of all times would she be late now!...Oh sh--”
The current performance just ended. The Courtesan outside would curtsy while hugging her lute and shuffled off the stage. The Brothel Owner tried to shove her back outside, make up an encore even if the audience didn’t ask to stall for time! Unfortunately, the Courtesan had another schedule performance somewhere else so she had to go. After a war that lasted 3 minutes, the Brothel Owner gave up and grabbed someone else to toss onto the stage.
A pair of adorable looking twins...which, he saved for last. Not because they were the best, but they were the worst. But if it can buy him some time, he’ll take his chances.
“This is bad, this is very bad!” The Brothel Owner mumbled and wiped the sweat off his face, drenching his entire sleeve. “This isn’t like Fae Fae! She’s never been a no-show in her entire career! Rain or shine, sick or health, she always come shows up on time! What do I do? What do we tell the audience? Especially wh-when she boasted how her new sword dance would make even the toughest grand masters of the martial arts world swoon head over heels! Her greatest masterpiece!”
“H-hold up!” Mama-san stopped the man. “It was YOU who advertise that slogan! It was YOU who fanned the flames about it being a masterpiece! And it was YOU who scheduled the show despite knowing Fae Fae has gone to visit a temple for prayer! So don’t you be blaming your screw up on her!”
“D-don’t talk back to me woman!” The Brothel Owner snapped.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~~~!
Was it something he said!? It was only a moment later, the Brothel Owner realized the boos wasn’t directed to him. It was at the twins he just pushed out into the lion’s den.
Being cute could only last for so long. They were just as hard working as any other Courtesan but they just...were terrible. They pulled off every trick: stage combat stunts, cart wheels, flips, playing a duet with nervous screeches and twangs. They even pulled out their finishing move!
St-stand up comedy!?—GET OFF THE STAGE! DO IT, DO IT, DO IT NOW!
The crowd started to throw their expensive wine and exotic tea cakes from their table to shoo off the twin performers, making them dart back stage and break down crying. The Brothel Owner cursed his luck.
“Mama-san, I choose you!”
“Oh hell no! I may have been known for swallowing many things – swords is not one of them! Why don’t you go out and give them an interpretive dance!”
The owner and manager began to bicker, until they started to hear chanting.
WE WANT FAE!
WE WANT FAE!
WE WANT FAE!
With no other choice, the Brothel Owner shoved the Mama-san out into the spotlight. She staggered onto the stage, all lights on her. She tried to retreat, but the Brother gestured death threats right back at her. Fix it, he mouthed!
“...Ladies and gentlemen, humble and prestigious guests.” Mama-san did what she does best, tame the lions. Even if she didn’t have a whip or chair. Surely in her 50 odd years as a high class prostitute she would have something up her skirt to resolve this! “We would like to thank all of you for coming to this momentous event... Unfortunately, our dear Fae Fae has fallen ill. She is completely bedridden.”
Immediately, the crowd went from ‘get off the stage’ to – ‘dear god, is she alright?’ ‘Call the doctor?’ ‘No, call the royal physician!’ Worried murmurs could be heard among the masses. Even the most selfish and greedy of the crowd offered to donate their best medicine or even a revivifying ginseng to help the poor Flower Princess with the concerns of a loving father.
This made Mama-san even more guilty, but the show...must go on. “Er. She tried many medicines to recover in time. She really hoped she had enough strength to-to deliver to you her masterpiece of a life time. So it is with heavy heart to-to say tonight's performance...is cancelled.”
She shut her eyes. She expected to be buried in all sorts of garbage and furniture. Being smothered alive by her patrons was not how she wanted to go out...
...One by one, the crowd got up to leave.
Not coldly. They would call out prayers for Fae Fae for a swift recovery. Some would personally approach the Mama-san and share suggestions to how to help Fae Fae or if there was anything they could do with limitless, or limited, resources they had. There were even donations of various proportions to pay for medical fees or expensive medicine. From a wholesome1 copper to a considerate 1000 silver.
Poor, rich, high class, low class, they all made sure to express what Fae Fae would like and dislike under these circumstances like worried parents. Every word of kindness and concern stabbed Mama-san in the heart. But she kept on a thankful smile, at least her gratitude was from the bottom of her soul.
No one complained, no one caused a fight. Even a beggar who had snuck to watch the Sword Fairy in stayed behind to clean up any garbage left behind from scaring off the other performers. Didn’t even steal any excess food or drinks as compensation, it would be too disrespectful of Fae Fae’s absence.
Such love and kindness for their idol.
The Mama-san could only bow in thanks to them all, hiding tears of shame. It was only when she was alone did she show her true colours and grabbed a chair to drag it towards the Brothel Owner.
“PARLAY! PARLAY!” The Brothel Owner squeaked, his moustache curling up in fear. He would dodge the swings of the Mama-san, ducking behind a thin stagehand. “Hold your temper Mama-San! Everything will be resolved once we find Fae Fae!”
“Look at what you’ve done!” Mama-san pointed at the clean and empty seats. “Everyone is heart broken because you kept stoking the fire! I have to offer tribute to thanks the gods for the mercy Fae Fae’s followers have shown! To think they expressed more humanity than a walking blubber like you who milk our Princesses like a cash cow! At least let me crack open your skull, before I hide in a Buddhist temple to pray off my violence!”
“Wait! Th-that won’t solve one bit of the problem!” The Brothel Own gasped and screamed for his life. “F-Fae Fae is never late, so-so why did she not show up now!? Where could she have gone too at a critical time like this!”