A new day dawns and, surprise-surprise, Emerald is hungry.
The breakfast buffet in the hotel's restaurant area is enough to fill her, and you join in to eat yourself while browsing the reactions to the two videos you posted online. The overall response is positive, but not anything special. Your videos are amateur and it shows. Some people like that, since professional stars can look a bit plastic and fake, but the algorithm doesn't.
The truth is that you're working against that as much as you are the other videos on the site. The big studios are immediately getting several hundred thousand views that catapult them to the front pages and toss yours further back faster than you can blink. People can still find it through the tags, but it's less than you'd otherwise get.
There's no quick way around that, however. You can't work around a system put in place, so you're just going to have to keep going. The more videos you make, the more the algorithm will see you’re a reliable source of ad revenue, and that's what it's really all about. If you can make the site money through ads, and if you can post constant videos, then it'll favour you. It's the same for any streaming service.
"What are we doing today, then?" asks Emerald, once she's well and truly stuffed. You worry she might put on too much weight in time, but that's a future concern. With any luck, by the time she gets to a healthy weight, she'll have realised that the food will no longer be taken away from her if she doesn't eat it fast enough.
"I thought we'd hang out this morning and spend some time together," you say. Emerald looks surprised, but not against the idea. "We're in this together – partners, in a sense." That last part isn't entirely true. You are the boss, and she is an employee, but there's a reason most businesses like to at least pretend they're one big family. "After what happened last night, I thought it might be good for us to be on the same page."
Emerald hums noncommittally, not really knowing what you have in mind. The fastest way to her heart is through her stomach, but you don't want to make her sick, nor spend a lot of money to take her out anywhere expensive. Maybe that's harsh, but you've finally started to earn some lien, and throwing another grand away to buy her a scroll, or whatever else she might want, isn't something you can stomach right now. And besides, you think she might appreciate you treating her like a real person whose opinion matters a lot more than she will some material objects.
Vale is still new to you, but it isn't hard to find a large and well-kept park within the area. It's not the biggest one in the city, but it's sizeable, and there are people around walking dogs or jogging in the morning sun. You wonder, briefly, if you should try and push Emerald toward exercising, both to make her fitter and get some saucy pictures, but you decide that can wait. Pushing her into more work now will just exhaust her.
Instead, you find a nice patch of grass on a gentle hill overlooking a pond where an elderly couple are throwing crumbs of bread to the ducks. You sit, thinking for a moment how horrified your father would have been to see you sit on the grass like a peasant. Emerald holds no such hesitation and flops down beside you, still curious about what you're going to be doing together.
"We're not making a video here, are we?"
"Here and now?" you ask. "Not unless we want to get arrested. I figured we'd take the morning off. We did good work, we've made some money, so let's enjoy life a little."
Emerald perks up. "Really?"
"Yes, really. We've got all morning."
Emerald takes that as an invitation to flop onto her back, her arms stretched above her head. A moment later, she winces and covers her eyes with one arm, but she otherwise appears to enjoy the sun on her skin.
You've always been the pale sort who burns more easily than you tan, and who turns bright red and peels. Fortunately, the sun isn’t that hot. After a minute or two, you even decide to lay back next to her, aware of her eyes on you as you lay down. The grass is soft, cool, and remarkably comfortable. You imagine the park is well-funded and looked after. The city exists for the pleasure of the rich after all, and they don't want to look at a grungy, litter-filled park.
"I'm sorry about last night," Emerald says, at last. Her words are rushed.
"Hm?"
"I reacted bad. I shouldn't have. It was stupid." Short sentences, clipped words, and closed eyes. "It was just acting and I let it get to my head, and that's after everything you've done for me. You bought me all those clothes – and I almost freaked out just because of some bad words. I'm sorry. I'll do better next time."
"You really needn't worry about it."
Though it does remind you to buy some birth control pills at lunch for her. It might be worth you looking into an aura-controlled contraceptive for yourself if you intend to keep finishing inside women.
"It was insensitive of me to have you act in a video that parallels something that's obviously a very traumatic experience for you," you say, reaching out an arm. Emerald is quick to roll onto it, allowing you to pull her against you in a one-armed hug. Her nose buries in your shoulder, and you think she's smiling happily. "I'm sorry. And you did nothing wrong. The fact you kept going and finished the video only shows how dedicated you are. And how lucky I am to have you."
There's a sniffle. You don't point it out because you're sure you weren't meant to hear it, but she curls into your side and stays there, happy to have you, and happy to be appreciated. Happy, you imagine, that someone even acknowledges her existence and doesn't walk past her as she starves on the street.
Emerald doesn't deserve that.
But, then, she doesn't deserve you either. Emerald deserves better.
But the world is cruel, and doesn't care, so you're the best she'll get, even if you take advantage of her from time to time. As for her apology, you can't help but think most girls wouldn't apologise for something that's quite clearly your fault. If she had doubts before the video, she should have raised them, but it's easy to say that from a position of strength.
Emerald was probably too nervous to complain, afraid you might think her "ungrateful" after all the money you've spent on her, and that she might lose out on the food and everything else you promised her.
It wouldn't be hard to encourage that line of thinking, not right now, but later, through subtle words and actions. You wouldn't have to belittle or harm her, but you could certainly act more disappointed whenever she complains. Little comments here or there about how much you've spent on her, or how her performance in the videos could be better.
Emerald is so desperate to please that she might do anything to have yours.
And that can be used against her.
It's a thought. Of course, she's also vulnerable enough that you could win her loyalty and affection through kinder means. Emerald is clinging to you already, so genuine kindness will surely have her holding on all the harder. The only problem with that is that it might limit you in terms of what you can do, as she'll get used to the idea of you being kind, and no doubt start to feel she can take liberties. In an ideal world, that would be great. An independent Emerald who feels confident enough to speak her mind is something that should, by all rights, be encouraged.
But an obedient and devoted Emerald who does anything you say, and who will work her little heart out to make you all the money you might need would be so very useful.
And it would be easy to slowly tease and get Emerald used to the idea of doing anything for you, to be as pliable as you need her to be, and even maybe to consider making you money in more ways than just through videos. The girl isn't stubborn like Blake, rich like Coco, or employed like Saphron. It would be all too easy to mold Emerald into whatever you want her to be.
Of course, there's always keeping things strictly professional as well, but if you only ever deal with her in terms of business then she's likely to mimic that approach back. It would make things easy, but it might make them more expensive too, if you teach her that everything should be determined in monetary value.
You decide to test her a little and see how far she's willing to go on her own.
"We might as well talk shop while we're resting," you say, and she hums beside you, already well and truly relaxed, basking like a cat in the sun. "You obviously weren't happy with the video we made last night – even if it made more than three times as much as our first one."
"It did!?"
"Yes. It was popular." You let that sink in. More money earned means more food and security for her, and she knows that. "But that doesn't mean we have to keep making videos like that. Things will get bland if we keep repeating the same videos over and over. We're going to have to keep shaking things up to keep the videos interesting."
"Shake them up, how?"
"Different people, different settings, different kinks." You list them off. "I mean, the hotel room is good for now, but if we use the same setting in every video then people will get sick of seeing it. The same for if we keep having the same sex. The same for us," you add, and watch her reaction. "They'll get tired of seeing you and me in every video. They're going to want variety."
Emerald doesn't look worried yet, which is a good sign. "A different couple?"
"Sure," you say, "but that obviously means more people taking a cut so we want to involve as few people as possible. Keep as much money for ourselves—" For yourself. "—so that you can keep eating all the food you want."
"Mm. Yeah. Definitely."
You roll your eyes, but her laser focus does amuse you. "I actually offered Velvet the chance to film with us if she ever wants to. What do you think of that?"
"The girl from the clothes shop? I guess she was pretty."
"Would it bother you if she acted in videos with me? If I had sex with her?"
Emerald's head falls to the side, so that she's looking at you, and she looks genuinely surprised that you'd ask. "No," she says. "Why would it?"
"I just wanted to be sure. I don't want to do anything that upsets you."
"Mmm." Emerald looks happy to hear that. "It wouldn't upset me. As long as she doesn't have a problem with me and isn't a bitch." You doubt that will be a problem on either account. "But I still get food even if I'm not in a video, right?"
"You do. Don't worry. You're not going to starve with me here. But I meant more than just me having sex with her when I asked. You're an actress at the studio as well." You let that hang in the air so she can piece together what you're saying. "What do you think of starring in a girl-on-girl video with her? Or with anyone?"
It's obvious she's taken back by the suggestion, and that she hasn't thought about it before. She doesn't recoil or looked disgusted by the idea, more surprised and, if you had to guess, a little uneasy. Emerald looks back up at the sky for a long moment.
"Uh. I don’t know. I'm not… I mean, I don't feel that way about other girls."
"I imagine most lesbian porn on the internet is the same way. They're just acting. You could, too."
"I guess…? I think I'd be weirded out, but I could do it. If it was just acting." Emerald purses her lips and picks at the grass. "I just wouldn't know what to do so it might be a bad video. How do you even…? I mean, I get the idea and I don’t have anything against people like that, but uh…" She blushes. "I might need to watch some videos to get an idea on how to do it."
That sounds perfectly reasonable to you. Man on man porn is, by definition, a lot simpler. There's the old saying "a hole is a hole", and it fits well enough there. Men are quite simple creatures when you get down to it.
But you're also curious about something else.
"What about you acting with a guy?"
Emerald blinks at you. "Aren't we already doing that?"
"I mean a different man." Or men, but you think it might be best to leave that idea for later. No need to frighten her off by throwing the word gangbang at her just yet. "I said that our viewers might get bored of seeing me every time. I'm definitely going to be doing videos with any girls we bring on, so I wanted to know if you would be comfortable doing videos with men."
Emerald stares up at the sky, eyes wide, mouth open. There's no immediate response, yes or no, and you imagine she's running the idea around in her head. She probably wants to say no, and keep things between you, but it's hard for her.
Not only does she owe you everything, but you've already said you're willing to sleep with other women to make this work, so her saying she isn't willing to sleep with other men will come across as uncooperative, or even ungrateful. It's obviously not the same thing. You're going to enjoy sleeping around, and it'll almost always be pleasurable for you. Less so for Emerald.
Still, it must feel like saying no is unreasonable from her point of view.
"I… I… I mean…" Emerald stammers helplessly, and then rolls over to look at you with wide, trusting eyes. "Would it help? Would it really help us if I did?"
>KIND: She is clearly against the idea, so tell her she won't need to.
>PROFESSIONAL: Tell her it would help a lot but leave the choice to her.
>CORRUPTION: Pressure Emerald to feel like she owes you and steer her towards feeling that it would be unreasonable to refuse your demands
Emerald deserves better, but the world isn’t kind.
Maybe “better” for her is whatever keeps her in work and able to support herself.
That’s certainly “better” for you, anyway.
“It would really help if you were willing to accept working with other people,” you say, making sure to put all the inflection in your voice to suggest just how much. “It’s strange for me as well, needing to have sex with people I don’t know, but it’s just business. It’s to keep both of us off the streets.”
“I… I guess…”
“I mean, I’ll do my best to look after you regardless, Emerald. I said I would. If you don’t want to do this, then that’s fine. I guess I’ll just have to work harder.” You sigh and bring your other hand up to your face. Under your breath, but not so quiet that she doesn’t hear, you say, “I just hope it will be enough.”
Emerald stiffens a little. You feel it through your arm. There’s no doubt she heard you, and no doubt she’s running through her head just what it was like on the streets for all those months. That faces her again if your business goes under, and she knows it.
There’s pride in her. Defiance, too. But she’s tasted a good life now, and she’s grown used to the idea of all this food, of the bed, and of you! You’re a presence in her life that she can hold onto, and who will hold her back and whisper in her ear that everything is okay.
Emerald needs you.
And you know that. It’s what makes this so easy.
“I’ll do it!” Emerald blurts out. “I—If it’ll help, then I’ll do it. W—With anyone. You helped me. Saved me. I don’t want— I can’t go back, and I can’t be the reason you end up there as well. I’ll do it.”
There’s a desperate zeal in her, a need to be validated. To be noticed.
To be loved.
And, as much as you’re manipulating her, you’re not going to withhold that. You’re not sure if that makes this acceptable, or if it makes you a better person, but you know it’ll make her happy. You roll over, pull her in tight, and whisper into her hair.
“Thank you. Thank you, Emerald. You have no idea how much this will help.”
“Ahhh…” Emerald goes limp in your arms, surrendering herself to the warmth of your body, of your voice, and of your words. To a girl like her, being held like this is probably all she ever dreamed of. Maybe not exactly like this, but for the girl who has nothing…
It’s close enough.
The two of you stay like that, embracing one another in the park, until the biological alarm clock that is Emerald's stomach tells you that lunchtime is approaching. It would be free to eat at the hotel, but you decided to spend the morning out with Emerald, and so it doesn't feel right to go back home. Luckily, while Vale is dotted with obnoxiously expensive restaurants for the rich, there are still fast-food joints for the poor and impatient.
It only costs 20 lien for a meal for the both of you, and Emerald digs in happily. The food is probably a little better than the hotel's, which is saying a lot, but then food at the hotel only costs 50 lien for a full day's worth of three meals. That was never going to be haute cuisine.
While Emerald eats, you spare a glance for the people working here, but, sadly, this is the kind of place that recruits pimply under-aged teenagers part-time, on below-minimum wage. You'd be almost as afraid of them bursting a pimple over you as you would be bursting a nut over them.
Instead, you decide to do a little research on your scroll while Emerald devours her food.
The first thing to cross your mind is, naturally, ways to improve the profitability of your videos. The obvious way to do that will be to get new talent, but it's going to take time for that to happen and you might as well look into other methods while you're at it. The two that come to mind are to make use of your aura somehow, and to get better at sex in general. Or at least become more of a showman.
Aura is a tricky subject. You have aura unlocked and know how to use it, but that's because of your wealthy upbringing. It's not unusual for families to pay former huntsmen to unlock the aura of their children and give some lessons, but that kind of tutelage doesn't mean much on its own.
Back when Grimm roamed the world, academies trained huntsmen and huntresses, and aura was pivotal to their survival. Kids as young as 11 would sign up for the younger academies, be trained, and then apply for the big ones like Beacon. The problem is that having aura unlocked and knowing how to use it are two very different things, and the aura control is something that used to be taught at those academies for the younger children.
No one is going to give a deadly weapon to a child and tell them to spar until they know for certain they can use their aura, are they? You'd have had kids blowing each other's heads off. Even though you theoretically know how to use aura, even that is clumsy at best. If you have time and can concentrate then you can bring it up, but if someone jumped you in the street, you're fairly sure you’d be in trouble.
Panic, distractions, lack of practice. It all adds up, like those old piano lessons forced on you that you can hardly remember.
It would be possible to get Emerald's aura unlocked, however. A quick search on your scroll shows you that there are quite a few martial arts schools around the city. Huntsman families had to adapt quickly when their main source of income fell through, and it's no surprise some turned their life and death skills into a martial art.
You could quite easily sign Emerald up to those, and they might unlock her aura. You'd have to pay for the tuition though, and it'd take a lot of time. Martial arts is as much about discipline as kicking ass, so they'll want to be sure she's the type who can be entrusted with that kind of power. On the bright side, Emerald might get fitter for it all, but as for her aura – that'll take time, and there's no guarantee it'll magically come with a pre-packaged Semblance either. It probably won't, in fact. You haven't even discovered yours, as you quite frankly have never been in real enough danger for it to matter.
Alternatively, you could take the mercenary approach and find a former huntsman and just bribe them to unlock Emerald's aura. The act isn't illegal by any means, and with the Grimm gone there isn't much concern about how many people have it. The reason aura isn't prevalent is just because it's unnecessary, and hard work, and that's often enough to ward people off.
Take any demographic of society in a place like this and "unhealthy" will describe them. If the average person isn't going to spent an hour a day in the gym or watch what they eat, then they're certainly not going to spend an hour a day practicing their aura control. It may sound crazy, but people already make excuses not to exercise when that is literally tied to your health, so assuming a different set of rules for aura makes no sense.
In a world with no Grimm, and little reason to need aura, most people simply don't bother, and the rich only do because it's a status symbol that they like to believe likens them to the old heroes who defeated the Grimm.
There are almost certainly people in law enforcement who use it, and who use it well, but then there's probably the same in criminal elements as well. Those who have a genuine need to be able to fight will take steps to learn to use aura and get it unlocked, but for everyone else, the idea of training hard to avoid stubbing your toe or getting a papercut is a waste.
Either way, you save the locations of the martial arts schools onto your scroll. It might be useful later, and it doesn't hurt to know more. You're not sure how valuable aura will be in porn, but maybe you could make huntsman porn? Historical porn?
It's a weird flex, but maybe having someone dressed as a Grimm "ravage" the huntress could sell, and it'd be impressive if the girl acting the huntress could actually show off her aura to make it more authentic. Other than that, you can only imagine that sado-masochistic material would be easier and safer because the people involved wouldn't face any injuries. It's a benefit, you suppose.
In truth, aura sounds like something that would be much more profitable in prostitution. If a girl can go longer because she has aura, then she can serve more customers before getting tired. They'd also be able to take rough treatment from customers without being injured or feeling the pain, and that's not something the average whore can offer. It'd be pretty damn useful for making money off girls that way, and it might add significant value to a slave when it comes to selling them. It would make them stand out at the auction if nothing else.
But, for videos? Limited value. There are some anecdotal suggestions that aura can improve beauty, mostly in terms of burning calories, preventing imperfections and improving skin health, but those are all long-term and usually show when someone has had it since childhood. Emerald isn’t going to suddenly change appearances overnight because you get her aura unlocked.
While you're looking, you quickly bring up some articles on getting better at sex as well. A lot of it is ridiculous nonsense about penis pumps and exercises you can do, and an inevitable barrage of links to pills that will do everything from cure your flagging libido, to increase your size, make her go crazy and cure any and every ailment you might have. You wisely navigate past those. Finding legitimate advice online is a chore, but you do hear the mention of an old sex manual that is "implied" to be useful for sexual positions.
It's all quite vague, and a lot of it appears to be steeped in mysticism and, from what few images you can find, an almost inhuman flexibility. Emerald might be capable of some of those positions, but you're certainly not.
It couldn't hurt to try, though. Could it? At worst, you hurt yourself and stop for a moment to catch your breath, then move onto more comfortable positions. You save a couple of images and decide you'll try them out sometime. Maybe tonight if you feel confident enough. You feel like with enough practice you might get better at sex on your own anyway, but this doesn't hurt.
Because you have time, and because Emerald is resting off her meal, you decide to take a quick visit to the website of the electronics store you bought your expensive laptop at. The thing is good, but perhaps a little too good for what you need. It'll likely become more useful in the future when you have more to work with in terms of editing software and a studio, but for now you know that Saphron sold you up. Worse still, you knew that at the time and let her.
Maybe it's petty, but you like to think it's strategic that you click on the "leave a review" button and begin typing, under a false name, about how the product was good, but the person who sold it to you had been rude and dismissive. You sprinkle in a comment about it being a blonde woman but leave it at that, not wanting to push too hard or too far.
You doubt Saphron will get in trouble for one comment, but multiple? That might work. If it didn't make her boss fire her then it would at least hit her confidence when he brings them up in meetings. If you were to keep it up, one at a time, bit by bit, then you're sure she'd begin to crack.
It would be remedial training at first and a comment to watch her words, and then more concern when the negative reviews keep coming in. Saphron might know she was doing her best, and her manager might even believe her, but the soulless people at the top of the food chain making the decisions won't care for that. They'll tell the manager to fix the problem or get rid of her.
And, when that happens, and she is left jobless and in need of work again? Well, then she might remember the little number you provided her and see if the one customer who did his best to help her out might have work for her.
You're scum, you think, as you press "post" on the review and watch the 1-star appear on screen but being Mr. Nice Guy isn't going to help you fill up your roster. There's no chance Saphron would up and decide to work in the sex industry without a little nudge.
And she never has to know you provided that.
"Ready to go?" you ask, putting your scroll away.
"Yep." Emerald stands. "What's the plan now?"
"Scouting."
"For actresses?"
You simply smile. "No. For a setting."
While it's undeniable that talent will make the videos successful, or, more specifically, the girls involved will, that doesn't mean the background and scenery isn't important. You told Emerald earlier that you couldn't keep filming in a seedy hotel and expect people not to get bored, and you meant that. The lighting is bad, the bed is boring, and there's nothing to work with. Sex, on a bed, in the dark, is pretty much the textbook definition of boring.
"But we can't afford a bigger place, can we?" asks Emerald, walking alongside you.
"We cannot. We could rent a place for one night, but given our room costs 200 per night, it'll definitely cost that much at least and probably more. No. I'm thinking we can find some places for a little cheaper. Maybe even for free."
"Who is going to let us use their place for free?"
"No one is."
"Uh. Yeah." Emerald makes a little snorting sound. "That's kinda what I said."
"You're mistaken. I said no one is because it's no one we're going to ask permission from." You pause in front of a concrete brick of a structure. It's square, ugly, and has two doors, one marked with a symbol of a man and another of a woman. "What do you see when you look at this?"
"I see a public restroom in the middle of a park…"
Ah, poor sweet Emerald. So naïve. So innocent. You pat her head and say, "You may see that, but what I see is a possible set for a video. You against the wall, graffiti in front of you, or up kneeling between the sinks, pressed flat against the mirror reflecting your face as we go at it." You watch her squirm uncomfortably. "Or the two of us in a cubicle, you riding me as I sit on the toilet seat."
"Ugh." Emerald makes an unhappy sound, but not an argumentative one. "Do you seriously think that would make a difference? It's a ratty, graffiti-ridden toilet in the middle of the city. I bet it stinks in there."
"Luckily for us, porn isn't scratch and sniff," you say. You'll be the first to admit you're not thrilled at the idea either, but it is an option. "It's not about what looks good, Emerald. It's about the excitement. The kink. The reason people dream of having sex on their boss' desk is because it's forbidden. Sex in public is the same, but a lot of people dream of doing it, and the thought of doing it in a disgusting place like this can be a turn-on to some. Think of all the gloryhole porn on the internet, and how it's always in a cubicle like the ones in here, with graffiti all over the side of it."
"I mean… I get it but…" Emerald looks around, desperate for an alternative. "Isn't there somewhere a little cleaner?"
"Sure." You agree easily. Too easily. Her eyes narrow. "There's the park itself."
Her voice drops to a whisper. "In public!?"
"Sure. It could be behind a tree, hidden behind some bushes, or, if we're feeling really daring, on a park bench. Not in the middle of the day," you're quick to say, as Emerald looks ready to faint. "We'd come back here at night when the place is mostly deserted. The whole point is to not be caught. I'm not saying we should take any stupid risks."
"Right. Yeah. That… That makes sense. Late at night. It'd be quiet then. What if someone did come near?"
"Then we'd hide or make a break for it."
Emerald whines unhappily at the idea, but it's more the threat of being caught. If you were feeling more daring than you are then you might consider doing it in the middle of the day, but that's too much even for you right now, and you don't have the camera on you. Maybe you could see yourself risking that in a somewhat enclosed space like a changing room or shop restroom, but you're not going to take that risk outdoors in the middle of the day.
"You're welcome to chip in with your own ideas," you say, as the two of you walk on by the public restroom. "The point I'm trying to make is that we can't afford a proper studio set yet, but we can substitute it with other things. We just need to get creative."
You can tell she's not thrilled with the idea, but it doesn't sound like she's against it on principle, just that she's concerned about the risks. Those can be mitigated, especially if you decide to use the restroom. You'd hear anyone coming in, and it'd be a simple matter to duck into a cubicle until it's all over and done with.
You spot a few secluded trees and areas with heavy bushes off the path as you walk around with Emerald and make some vague notes of their locations in your head. If you had more money then you might suggest more elaborate places like a fancy hotel, a spa, or even filming something on a train or for the mile high club. Those would all cost money however, and that kind of defeats the purpose of scouting places like this.
Once you have enough money to get a proper apartment, you can make that work for you as well. Videos of sex in the kitchen, in the dining room, on the couch, in the bathroom, the bedroom. You can isolate every part of the place and call them different sets, but renting an apartment is going to cost more than the cheapest hotel in the city when utilities, electricity and other bills are factored in.
It's while you and Emerald are looking around that your scroll goes off. Emerald glances over, but you wave at her to keep going and look down at the unfamiliar number. Have your family's debtors caught up to you? Have they come to collect? You swallow such thoughts and answer.
"Hello. Who is this?"
"Um. H—Hello? Is this Joker? It's Velvet. From the clothes store?"
"Velvet!" you say, not even having to fake the pleasure in your voice. Your worries fall by the wayside as you stroll on. "Good to hear from you! How are things going?"
"O—Oh, things are… things are fine…"
You can’t tell if that’s a lie or if she just stammers this much generally. It could be either. Velvet came across as a very submissive person in general, though you know there's some fire under there once she lost her temper at Coco.
"That's good to hear. I'm glad you called." In no small part because you now have her number for future occasions. "So, is this just to chat, or did you want to talk about the offer I made you before? It's still open."
The ambient noise on the other end of the call suddenly gets a lot quieter, which you imagine is Velvet covering her scroll with one hand so no one hears what you're saying. How adorable. Then again, she's probably on her lunch break at the shopping centre, so it's not like she isn't surrounded by people.
"I… um. I still don't know about that," she says. "I'm really not sure it's for me. Doing something like that just sounds… It doesn’t sound like the kind of thing I could do..."
Well, that's no good. You want Velvet in front of the camera, and whether or not you need her doesn't change the fact that you committed before to getting her through any means. You already got her to listen to the offer by using Coco against her and driving a wedge between them, and you could try that angle again. It worked before.
Alternatively, you could try and work with the very obvious fact that Velvet doesn't have much of a backbone. Maybe that's something she can gain with a little confidence, but, for now, that lack of a spine might work to your advantage. Either way, Velvet is slowly convincing herself she shouldn't take your offer seriously.
It's time to change that.
>INVITE HER TO WATCH: Velvet can see what the work is like by watching you and Emerald filming the video (50 lien).
>BE FORCEFUL: Velvet is weak-willed and shy. Be assertive and push Velvet to take your offer seriously.
>FUEL HER TEMPER: Use Coco to get Velvet nice and angry then suggest that starring in your videos would prove Coco wrong
“I can see you’re having doubts, Velvet, which is why I think the best thing we can do is try and assuage some of them.” You lean back, looking up at the sky. “Do you remember when you first started for your store? I bet they showed you around a bit and told you what some of your responsibilities would be like. Told you the package and all that.”
“Um. Yes. They did.”
“I’d love to do something similar,” you say, keeping your voice genial. “Tell you what, how much do you earn an hour in that store?”
“About 20 lien.”
“Then how about I pay you 50 lien for an hour’s work – not as an actress!” you hurry to say, as Velvet draws a sharp and nervous breath. “All I want you to do is hold a camera for us and see what it’s like when Emerald and I make a video.”
There’s silence, and then a gargled noise.
“Y—You want me to watch you have— have— do that!”
“You’d be watching us act, Velvet. It’s a show. Like theatre.” It’s best to talk it down for now. Velvet will be shocked aplenty when she tries and experiences it, but you need her there first. “It’s also a chance for you to earn over two hours of your normal wage in one, and probably less in all honesty. I can’t go for a full hour.” There’s a nervous, even hysterical and panicked, giggle down the line. “And you could see what it’s like.”
“I… I don’t know…”
“What would it hurt?” you ask. “What’s the worst that can happen? You’re a little embarrassed? No one will see you on the video, and certainly neither Emerald nor I are going to insult you, are we? We’re the ones starring in it.” You chuckle, sounding calm and at ease. The things she needs to hear. “I just think you should make an informed decision.”
And then you lay your trap.
“Unless you want to bring Coco along for moral support? Though, I mean, she might take that as a sign you’re too weak to handle something like this on your own.”
“I’ll be there!”
Velvet sounds terrified but determined.
“Um. W—Where is there? And when?”
“Tonight.”
“Tonight!?”
“Relax, Velvet. You’re only holding a camera. Nothing can go wrong. And I’ll text you where we’re meeting. Emerald and I are planning something of an outdoors video tonight. Spice things up a little. I imagine that’ll be less intimidating for you as well since you won’t be stuck in a small room with us.”
“I can’t… No. I can. I’ll be there.” Velvet whines piteously into the scroll. “But please don’t tell Coco! I’d die of shame!”
“I won’t tell her a thing. See you tonight.”
You hang up, feeling rather pleased with yourself as you do. Velvet isn't yet won over, but the more you fight back her protests, the more you'll win her over. The simple fact is that if she's already calling you and bringing up problems, then that means she's taking the idea seriously.
Most people will just say "no" if they don't want to do something and refuse to elaborate on why. The fact Velvet called you at all is proof this isn't a "no" but a "I don't think I should", and all you need to do is take away all her reasons to say no.
Put in a situation like that, Velvet feels like the type of person to cave to the pressure and agree.
Better yet, you wonder if she’ll enjoy watching you and Emerald go at it. You’ll need to be particularly good to Emerald tonight. No insults, spanking, or harsh words.
"Did it go well?" asks Emerald once it's clear you're finished.
"I think so. Velvet is going to be our camerawoman tonight. We’re going to put on a show for her and let her see how good this work can really be. And trust me, it is. Velvet earns 20 lien an hour. Imagine that. We do one hour’s work a day and can earn almost ten times that.”
“Can you even live on 20 lien an hour?”
If she works 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, then that’s 600 lien per week. A person could probably get by on that, but only if they shared a house with someone. Parents, maybe? It could be a house share situation with 2-4 people living together and pooling incomes. It certainly isn’t going to be Coco living there, however.
“I might need your help on winning Velvet over, by the way,” you tell Emerald.
"Okay." Emerald doesn't hesitate. "What do I need to do?"
“We need to make a really hot video tonight. Plenty of kissing, moaning, as loving as we can make it. No rough business and no insults.” You say that to her, but you both know you’ve been the source of all those. “Also, if you could talk up the good parts if she asks you. Tell her how easy it is, how much more it pays than a normal job, and also how it makes you feel pretty and desired to read all those comments online."
Her face is flat. "You mean the ones calling me a dirty slut?"
"Those exact same ones." You laugh and pat her head. "I'm not saying you should feel complimented by them, but Velvet feels like she's unattractive because she's comparing herself to Coco all the time. I think hearing about how it feels to have guys howling your praises online might sway her a little."
There are plenty of real-world examples of that to draw from. It's a problem in younger girls, you hear, that they can become hooked on positive feedback from people online. Most of it is probably innocent, with girls becoming obsessed with taking good photos when they're out with their friends and feeding off the feedback, but some, you know, is bound to be a lot worse. Of girls of any and all ages being tempted, slowly, to reveal more and more to chase those positive comments.
And for people who are shy in real life, the anonymity of the internet must feel liberating. When no one around you will tell you you're beautiful, having many strangers online saying it is the next best thing.
"I'll talk it up if she asks."
"Thanks. You're the best, Emerald." The girl preens, clearly pleased with the words. "But, before that, we have to decide where we’ll film. I think we should do something around these news settings we've discovered. Late at night, as promised, so it shouldn't be too risky. Velvet will feel a bit claustrophobic if we fit all three of us in one room. I think that would scare her off."
Not to mention it'll look unprofessional, and you don't want to give Velvet's nerves any excuses to back out. You came out here today to find alternative places to have sex, and you're going to make use of them.
"As long as it's your fault if we're caught!"
"Relax. We'll be fine." You rub her hair. "And, before you ask, we'll have dinner first. Don't worry. Anyway, let's have a think about what type of video we should film…"
You have 4,016 lien (about to be 3,966 after Velvet's payment), a video to film, and a bunch of public settings to pick from.
Author's Note:
Original Quest: https://fiction.live/stories/Running-the-Red-Light/z3DQkYE5X8YBXovZ8/home
Visual Novel: https://andoravn.itch.io/running-the-red-light