The Midnight Masquerade (Atroxa & GrinningGentleman)

Her fear, was once again puzzling to Vladimir. Even while he was still under the effects of Opium, he could not bring himself to comprehend Lydia's fear. It was a handicap, for sure, not feeling an emotion. It left you numb, and made you forget how that emotion worked. Vladimir tried his best to think these things through, and find connections between the things Lydia had seen, and the fear she was obviously experiencing. His mind had a realization, that Lydia's picture of rich people, at this time, would have been tainted heavily by Harold Lane. The deviant who'd hurt her the day before. Vladimir cursed Harold's name in his mind, but reminded himself of what was to come, and did his best to be patient. But his string was starting to cut short. There were only so many times he could be questioned, without snapping. And he was starting to feel investigated.

Vladimir frowned lightly as Lydia flinched, and retreated, shaking his head a few times with a sad pout, but remained were he was as she clearly preferred it. And with her following questioned, after everything he had to say, got Vladimir to roll his eyes slightly, and take a few steps to the side, arms shrugging dramatically.
"What, do you want? What do you want?" He repeated after her, clearly getting frustrated with something. "Everyone seems to cling on to that question, as if it was a crutch, and they were wounded... Why do you really -care-, what it is that I want, Lydia?" He questioned, looking back to Lydia, his eyes a little more excited than they'd been before, and his voice was less careful, and sweet. It had not turned sour, or aggressive, but a lack of patience for formality and overly kindness was clearly there. Vladimir started walking behind Lydia again, as he continued, using his arms quite vividly in his explanations. Again, not wildly or angrily, but to emphasize what he said.

"James is a small-time Thug, sure, but his girls, your friends, has been abused to establish friends in a lot of places, Lydia. You among them. He has connections, and he has a description. Of you. And he want's you in Harold's filthy little fat hands.." As Vladimir started describing Lydia's predicament, as well as mentioning what she'd also been used for, probably without her knowledge. "And Harold knows this.. And who is Harold Lane? Harold Lane is a City Council member. A dirty politician, who used his father's wealth, and fame, to become the greasy fart that he is now, going from whore house, to whore house, cheating on his wife left and right, hurting and traumatizing whores from Palmer's Street, to the docs.. He, this corrupt son a good man, want's you as well. And he's upped his.. 'Game'. From just hurting whores, to taking their lives. He, want's you dead as well." Again, he showed no hesitation, or remorse, telling her exactly what her situation was. He was brutal, and a little bit cold with his descriptions, but it got the point through. All the while he'd been talking about the rock, and hard place, she was caught in between, he had been circling her, at the same distance as he had before, and at this point he was back in front of her. With both his hands, he pressed his fingertips together, and pointed them towards himself.
"And then.. There is me. What do you know about me, really? Not much. But if you could.. Lay away the prejudice you hold against people of wealth, and privilige, and only focused on -what you know-." He started with a fist, raising a finger for every point that he made, as his orange eyes stare into her's. "I gave you food, when you were hungry. I gave you warmth, when you were cold. I saved you, when you were in danger. I gave you a good night's sleep, in a comfort you haven't seen for years.." With the four points he'd raised, he then raised his other hand, as if they were a different kind of points. "I may have been the one, who killed your three attacks, so, I might be dangerous." He added that one to a point on his other finger. He weighed the two hands up against each other, as if they were a scale of pro's and cons. He made a thoughtful expression, pouting a little as he added another finger to the cons. "And, I might be a little perverted, considering the company you found me in this morning, but.. Try not to judge anyone here.. We're all consenting adults." He smirked lightly, as he relaxed his arms again, looking to Lydia's eyes, now with a hopeful expression, as he frowned lightly.

"So.. Does it truly mater, what -I- want?" He stated, somewhat rhetorically, as he continued before she could answer that question. "My offer is this; Today, you kick that fear of your's in the ass, and take a leap of faith. You spend the day with me, my friends and my subjects, and get a taste of the life that we live. I do not want to ruin too much of the journey, but I will say this. You will not be wearing that, but nor will you be spending it naked, pleasing a man that hates you, and whom you hate." He suggested his offer, in a rather atypical way, for a person of wealth like him. Not as formal as he was before. He looked a little thoughtful for a moment, before shaking his hands a little. "Well.. Maybe spending it naked for about an hour, or so, pleasing a man visually, but there'll be no touching. Nakedly. Anyway..." He stopped himself, before he started babbling, as he looked back down to Lydia, this time taking the step into arms reach more carefully, as he raised a hand slowly.
"And tonight.. I'll ask you the question, that should -really- matter to you.. -What is it, that you want-?" If she'd let him get close enough, he'd place a fingertip on Lydia's nose, with the last question, finally letting her speak, gazing down at her warmly again, as he had before. His warm, charming smile was back, and the frustration he'd just seemed to vent, was gone.

Vladimir wasn’t the only one growing frustrated, his newest guest was too. None of this made sense to her, and she was getting tired of rarely giving her a direct answer to her questions. He had yet to fully explain why she was here and what he wanted from her, because everyone wanted something, and Lydia had learned the hard way that everything came with a price, even your soul. That Vladimir didn’t understand why she didn’t just trust him and take his word on everything told her that he had never been betrayed like she had been. Not just betrayed by her boss or her family, but the entire world. The world had let her down and she was hesitant to invest any faith in it again, that included him, especially considering he was still very much a stranger to her.

Lydia glared at him a little when he started going on for a bit, clearly agitated by her questioning, which made her cross her arms and frown at him a little. She let him finish, not looking very impressed or convinced the entire time, but not stepping away this time when Vladimir moved closer to her again and touched his finger to the tip of her nose. His warm smile wasn’t returned, this woman he had taken an interest in was harder on the outside than he might like, there was clearly a heart under her armor, but she protected what was left fiercely. And here was a rich man she did not know wanting her to trust him, Lydia was understandably hesitant to do so.

“Fine,” she sighed, “I’ll see what it is you have going on here…” she glanced behind him at the sleeping people still lying about, pursing her lips and wondering what she was getting herself into here. She looked back to Vladimir, “And I was asking about what you want because it clearly involves me, I think it’s perfectly acceptable for me to want to know what that might be. Unless you would rather I simply accept everything you tell me without question like an obedient dog?” Lydia looked at him expectantly, waiting to see if he was like every other man she had had the misfortune of interacting with, wanting women to be silent and do as they were told. Or if he was more like the man he clearly wanted her to think that he was and was for some reason concerned with her well being.

The way Lydia looked at him, forced his charms away, and she got back in kind, glaring right back. Even his smile was thwarted, at her blunt and direct answers, and her clearly half thought through reason to question him. Vladimir's right fist was tightened slightly, closing his eyes as he breathed in deeply through his nose, holding it for a while. Behind him, some people had started getting up, getting redressed and leaving the room. However the majority remained, whispering between each other, with only a few paying attention to Vladimir and Lydia's discussion.
After his sigh, Vladimir opened his eyes again, glaring back into Lydia's, shaking his shoulder lightly.
"I don't want you to be a dog, no.. But I want you to realistic, and not this fucking spiteful!" As he shouted the last word, the sentence gradually building up to that, some of the people around shivered lightly, looking away immediately. Vladimir's temper had boiled over, and a woman on the couch behind him, were he'd been, murmured from bellow the pile.
"Vlaaad..." The woman didn't show herself, but remained were she was. Vladimir closed his eyes, breathind deeply once again, holding out his hands, shaking them calmly.
"Sorry.. Sorry.. But no, for now, I do not want that of you.. But fu..." Vladimir stopped himself from cursing again, clearing his throat before continuing. "You are being rude.. Miss Lydia. Your body language is dismissive. Your voice is spiteful. You have to realize how much that can hurt a man, who has spent time, and money, on helping this person. And I have only showed you kindness, and you treat me like the men who've used you, for however long.. Understand? If I was like any other Lordling in this town, I would have slapped you now.. But instead.. I am just going to leave.. You accept my offer, and we'll talk about it later." His glare turned to a frown, as he turned around towards the couch behind him.

"Hants! Wake up your men, and go get yourselves some rest. You need your strength for tonight's ball." Vladimir called, the musician in the back finally stopping the music, as he started raising from his chair, waking up the others. Vladimir's voice had lost it's happy, boyish flair, that he'd had so far, as he clapped both his hands, getting the other people in the hall's full attention in a few seconds.
"Alright.. Kin, leave the hall, and start preparing the hallways, kitchen and toilets for tonight. Thralls. Remove the curtains and blockers, an prepare the hall for tonight. Call in the movers, to get the furniture moved from the basement. Natalia?" He asked, as people started rummaging around. From the couch now in front of him, a woman was pushed away, to make way for a plump, middle aged woman, who groaned silently with a shake of her head.
"Yes, yes.. Me, and the girls, will help our guest." She mumbled, as she got herself off the couch. The woman wore a fancy dress, fitting her curvy body just right. Moving around the couch, she snapped her right hand above her head, causing a group of four girls to come over from another couch. These four girls, was practically identical, except for their hair color. One redhead, a brunette, a blonde, and a black. The middle aged woman walked over past Vladimir, as he turned around to face Lydia again as well. The woman walked over next to Lydia, looking her over as she walked around her. The four other girls stood themselves in a line, looking over Lydia a bit away from her. Vladimir remained were he was, a small smile on his lips, as he bowed slightly.
"Till I meet you later, Miss Lydia. And try your best to, at least, trust them a little.. You might find a simpler, warmer world, if you opened yourself up to that possibility." Vladimir's smile was only half, as he was clearly still moody, and from his tone, he didn't want a response to what he said. Instead, he walked past the girls, and out the door Lydia had come from.

The plump middle aged Lady waved her hand dismissively towards Vladimir, as she continued looking over Lydia.
"Don't mind him too much, love.. He is used to Lords, and Ladies, who know how to act in kindness, even through fear." The Woman murmured, as she tilted her head, shrugging. "And, It frustrates him that he doesn't know how to actually answer your question.. He doesn't know why you interest him.. Lord Rasputin never knows what he is doing, he just does. Acts on instinct. SO when confronted with questions... Weell.. You've seen what happens." She smiled, looking up to Lydia's eyes, trying to take her hand, and gently clap it.
"Miss Lydia.. My name is Natalia Franchesca. These are my servants. The red is Rose, the brown is Coco, the blonde is Dandelion and the black is Night. We work as Cosmetic designers, and fashion artists. We would like to give you a bath, do something about those bruises, help you out with the pain, and help you decide the proper makeup, for tonight's party. May we?" She asked, holding a hand out towards the door, before walking ahead, showing the way, if Lydia would follow.

Lydia was not so easy to charm, especially bearing in mind that she had nearly been strangled to death by a man the night before. So she was still feeling rather defensive. He wasn’t helping things when he shouted at her, making her wince and step away from him, glaring at him angrily. He said he didn’t want her to be a dog but he didn’t like to be questioned, so far Vlad was making it hard for her to really trust him. So his quick apology rung a little hollow for her, and she didn’t respond to the rest, just stood there with her arms crossed, glaring at the floor now instead of at him. She stood quietly as he gave orders to the rest of the room, all apparently with the goal of being prepared for that night. She only looked up when another woman and four girls approached, glancing at Vlad as he spoke, then looking away and only giving a nod at his request. She was clearly angry with him, though it was really misdirected, it wasn’t Vlad that she was actually angry with, but he was the best person to take it out on. It was unfair of her, but she was too stubborn and still too wound up to realize it or admit it.

She looked at Natalia when she tried to explain her lord a bit, though Lydia just scoffed a bit. “Well, I’m so very happy that Lord Rasputin and his friends have had such wonderful lives that they have nothing to be bitter about,” she muttered. Lydia didn’t really know what to think of her claim that Vlad didn’t know why he was so interested in her, she didn’t really believe it honestly. How could he not know why? She let Natalia take her hand though, trying to give her a bit of a smile when she introduced herself and her girls.

Lydia couldn’t hide that she wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about them getting her ready for whatever it was that was going on tonight, some sort of party apparently. The last thing she wanted was to have a bunch of men pawing at her, but she didn’t have much of a choice. She could leave, but where would she go? Really she already knew the answer to Vlad’s question, she knew what she wanted. She wanted her old life back, she wanted things to go back to the way they had been. She wanted to forget the last year had ever happened, she didn’t want to be a whore anymore. But it seemed that she had gone from one whorehouse to another, considering she’d found the aftermath of an orgy as her welcome. Lydia knew that things could never go back to the way things had been, that wasn’t possible, and she likely would never get away from prostitution. Once you were a whore, no one else wanted you, you were spoiled, used goods.

“Fine,” she sighed quietly, following after Natalia and trying not to let the bitter anger boiling in her stomach get to her too much. Speaking of her stomach though, “I don’t suppose you have anything to eat do you?” Lydia asked. She hadn’t gotten to eat the night before, James refusing to give anything until she’d done her job and proven she was worth feeding, and then everything had happened… So she hadn’t eaten since the previous morning.

Vladimir had left, seemingly with no second thought, to Lydia's realistic reactions, but murmuring silently to himself as he left the door. Once again, he'd become a little frustrated with who he was. He'd overreacted to a situation, and he knew it. He shrugged it off his shoulders, heading towards his meditation room, to clear his mind. All the while, Natalia and the Quadruplets looked over Lydia, with scanning eyes. None of them presumed, or pretended not to be staring Lydia down, but she might guess why they did so. There were no judgement, or prejudice in their expressions. Rather, there were hints of excitement. Joy. Like children, looking over a potential new friend, or for that matter a toy, children showing little difference in these things.

Natalia had narrowed her eyes a little searchingly, judgement now shining through thoroughly. Disapointment, was also written in the stare. Like a mother, staring down a misbehaving child. But she'd let Lydia answer her question, before she spoke again, smiling lightly when asked for food.
"I didn't take you for someone who'd act up, like a child. Making assumptions." She said, in a disappointed tone, as she pointed a finger, after letting go of Lydia's hand. "Don't presume to know, what Lord Rasputin has been through. Do not presume to understand him. And -definitely- do not compare him to other men.. You do not know his story. You do not know the man. There is -a lot- of memories, behind those young eyes. He may have seen horrors, that neither of us could ever imagine. Place he comes from.. I would not be surprised, if he'd actually been in your shoes. It isn't just women, who feel the wickedness of men.." She lectured, in a calm, and educative tone. Raising her brows a bit, she put a punctuation on the 'lecture', as she sported another gentle smile, clapping her hands together.

"But let us not think about that too much, right now. Another time, you are more than welcome to ask me questions about our Master, but let's not talk about it right now, I always get a little defensive, after nights like the last." She hurried the conversation on, knowing her head was still a little affected by the Opium from last night. Instead, she continued leading the party down the hallway they'd started upon, answering Lydia's question.
"We most definitely have something to eat, my dear. How does this sound. First, we give you a quick bath, to get that smell off of you. I'm sure you are as interested in that, as anyone else? Oh, and we should also get you something to hinder the pain, as soon as possible." She suggested with a gentle smile. Natalia saw it as a fresh start. Washing the past away, in order to step into something new. "Meanwhile, I have one of the girls fetch you a comfortable gown, so you don't have to walk around naked in the house, nor wear those tattered clothes. I have another one sent off to the Cook, to let him know to prepare you something nice, and we'll send you to the dinning hall, were you can have as much as you like." She suggested a schedule, all the while they continued down the hallway they were on, Natalia taking steps in a decently fast pace, not dallying or wasting time. Natalia had a slight sway in her steps, resting one hand on her hip, with the other waving around as she spoke, using her body language.
When her suggestion was over, she'd reached a door at the far end of the room, opening it to reveal a large, clean bathroom. It was quite old fashioned, with a white, black and gold color scheme. In the center of the room, was a rather large, one person bathtub. Next to the tub, was several barrels, with water already steaming just slightly. There were a fashionable toilet, as well as sink, everything in pristine order.
"How does it sound? The water has just the right temperature right now, for a nice, warm bath." She suggested, smiling widely with raised brows.

Lydia glanced at the four young women that circled her and looked her over with eager curiosity, trying not to feel too unnerved as she was sure they didn’t mean her any harm. She looked at Natalia though when they older woman spoke, frowning at her a bit. She just rolled her eyes a little but didn’t respond, Lydia was clearly in no mood to be lectured or to really have an open mind or to feel sympathetic for anyone. She just crossed her arms and walked with the other women, resisting the urge to mutter to herself. As foul as her mood was, she knew that things could be far far worse, so she didn’t want to push her luck and find herself back out on the street. Still, it was hard for Lydia to really feel optimistic when she had no idea what was going on.

But the prospect of a bath and some food seemed to cheer her up a little, the grouchy look on Lydia’s face lessening a little. She nodded as Natalia laid out a plan for her to get a bath and some food. Really, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a proper bath, since at the brothel it had just been a basin of water and a rag to wipe yourself with, and then you’d dump the water over your head to wash your hair. The thought of actually being able to soak in a proper tub and then have a real meal had Lydia feeling a little excited for once. And something to help with ache in her neck didn’t sound half bad either, and some clean clothes.

She followed Natalia to the bathroom, her eyes going a little wide as she looked around. It was bigger than her entire apartment had been, the one she’d live in with her mother before she’d lost her job. “I think that all sounds wonderful,” Lydia admitted, looking at the steaming water with no small amount of longing. She didn’t really think anything of starting to take off her dress, the young woman had lost nearly all sense of modesty and privacy a long time ago. The buttons were undone and the dress pulled off with little ceremony. She wasn’t wearing anything under it, undergarments just got in the way when you were a whore, leaving her naked quickly. Lydia was clearly a little underfed, though not as badly as some women in the brothel, but her bones showed easily, and there were fading bruises here and there from rough treatment, the ones on her neck were just the most recent.

Natalia took note at the disinterest in the wise words, and let it slip. For now. She had a genuine fear, that she might upset Vladimir, at one point, or another. He wasn't fond of being compared to other men in his position. He could also get exceptionally furious, when people presumed to know of his life. It was quite a sore subject to the man. But Natalia figured, that Lydia was wise enough, not to play with fire until it burned, and left the lecturing for another time, as she'd already suggested. Instead, she continued explaining her plan, and got a little more optimistic, when seeing Lydia light up a bit. Vladimir had brought whores to the house before, but he'd never had the kind of interest he had, for Lydia. It wasn't just for his pleasure, or for the pleasure of visitors. He genuinely seemed to want to see her flourish, and be happy. Which she figured was the reason for his displeasure this morning.

As Lydia agreed to the plan, Natalia nodded in agreement, letting Lydia enter the room, while she addressed the quadruplets.
"Dandelion, go let the cook know, that the Lady would like a meal served, once her bath is ready." Natalia looked over her shoulder, looking over Lydia's slightly malnourished body. There were no judgment in her eyes, as she nodded a single time, and continued, looking back to Dandelion. "Let him know, not to make it too explosive. We don't want to upset the Ladies' body. But make it nourishing, the dear needs to get some flesh between her skin, and bones.. And let Lord Rasputin know too. He might want to join." She started, the blonde rushing off, when given her orders, happily walcing her way down the hall, as Natalia looked to the raven haired girl. "Night. Go fetch the Lady a nice dinner gown. Nothing too fancy, she won't be wearing it too long. Just for dinner, and until Roach get's here. We'll get her a dress for their trip to the market then." Natalia continued, starting to walk towards the bath, looking over the waters, as Night prepared to leave the room in song as well. Natalia was quick to interrupt her though. "Oh, get her some painkillers as well. If you can't remember which it is, ask Raindahl." She added to Night's list, Night agreeing with her Mistress, before running off as well.

Natalia squated down by the waters, as she looked up to Lydia, with a warm smile, grabbing one of the buckets with the hottest water.
"I think a proper steaming bath, might do you good, wouldn't you agree, Lady? Get all those pesky dead skin sells off of you. They always hide in the most inconvenient of spaces, don't they?" Natalia snickered, picking up the bucket, but waiting for Lydia's agreement. If she didn't agree, and wanted the slightly cooler, yet still warm water, Natalia would pour that in instead. Upon doing so, she brought out a soap, with a suggesting hand towards the water.
"Go ahead, my dear. Slowly though. It's probably a lot warmer, than what you're used to." She smiled warmly, pouring in just the right amount of soap. As Lydia stepped in, Rose walked over by her side, about to take Lydia's hand, but was promptly interrupted by a sharp slap over the wrist by Natalia.
"Rose! Ask the Lady politely first.. Where's your manners, young Lady..." She scolded, Rose looking down a little shyly, clearly not very comfortable with the prospect of asking Lydia. Rose looked to Lydia's eyes, then to Natalia's, and back, as if she had a hard time finding the words.
"Uh.. Uhm.. May.. H.. Help. Help wash?" The girl asked, in broken English. Her voice was quite fine, and gentle, but her accent was thick, and rough. If Lydia had any knowledge of accent's, she'd know it as Russian. Natalia smiled, and walked in front of the tub, holding out a hand, with her middle finger, pressed against her thumb, guiding Rose's tongue, as she corrected her.
"May I, help you bathe." Natalia said, with Rose repeating after her, sounding much more confident when she was helped along. The red head nodded a few times, looking back up to Lydia, with an almost childish smile. Natalia snickered lightly, and crouched down in front of the tub, resting her arms on the edge of it. Foam from the soap, had created a layer on top of the water, concealing anything beneath it, like a layer of ice.

"My girls have each their special little talent. A talent they love to use, whenever they have a chance. Rose here, has very elegant, smooth and thorough hands. She manages to reach all the little nooks, and cracks on our bodies, that we don't always find. And she massages the skin, as she works, leading to vert satisfied costumers." She explained, Rose nodding in agreement. Natalia pointed one arm towards the brunette, who'd walked over behind Lydia by now, standing ready with a bucket of soapy water.
"Coco there, works wonders with hair. Let her wash, and massage someone's head and hair, and they'll probably fall asleep from the comfort." Natalia continued, Coco smiling proudly, as she crouched down next to the tub, also letting Lydia make the choice. Natalia pointed a hand towards herself, straightening her back a little proudly as well.
"And I, do an excellent Pedicure, as well as foot massage." She pronounced, as sh rested her arms on the tub once again, batting her hands suggestively.
"But, we will not start treating you, if you'd prefer not to be touched. But, I promice you.. If you lean your head back, close your eyes, and just let us work our magic.. You'll feel comfort, like you've -never- felt it before." She said, smiling warmly, followed along by the two other girls. Both the girls looked excited about her answer, almost a little itchy to start working, clearly wanting to give.

If she accepted, Natalia would smile even wider, nodding to the girls, as she pulled up her sleeves. Reaching into the water, she'd pull up one of Lydia's feet, and start gently massaging. Her finger's were elegant, and gentle at the touch, but a little tighter in the right spots. Her fingers would remove any sign of dead skin cells, as well probably lose up any sore spots. Rose's fingers would reach into the warm water as well, and start gently stroking up Lydia's arm, on both sides. Her fingers were as smooth as promised, stroking over Lydia's skin like silk. But her touch was a little stronger, in order to get every speck of filth or sweat, swiped away. Her fingers were like a constant massage, every spot they touched.
Coco would begin with the hair, leading Lydia's head back a little, so her hair could flow over the edge. She'd pour a little water, just enough to make it properly wet, before getting out soap, and oils.
"You have very beautiful hair, M'Lady." She'd compliment, as she'd start gently rubbing in the soap, making sure every inch of her hair got some. Her finger tips would feel like gently prods, against Lydia's scalp, giving as much a massage, as a wash. "Do you know, if there are any oils, your hair can't handle too well?" Coco asked. Her English was much finer than Rose's, but her voice and accent was a little rougher, as well as thicker, possibly being a little hard to understand.

Lydia listened as the older woman gave her orders to the younger ones and watched them hurry off until it was just her, Natalia, and two of the girls. She admittedly couldn’t remember their names… there were quite a few of them after all. When Natalia suggested a hot, steaming bath, Lydia nodded, “Yes, that sounds good.” Hot water to scrub off all the grime from her life for the last year sounded wonderful in fact. She hadn’t stopped feeling filthy the entire time. Really though she hadn’t felt completely clean in even longer, since before her boss had started using her. Lydia didn’t think even this bath would make her feel clean, nothing probably would, because it wasn’t the dirt on her skin that made her feel dirty, it was all the things she had done and that had been done to her.

Still, it felt very good as Lydia lowered herself slowly, carefully, into the steaming water, letting out soft hisses here and there. When she finally settled into the water though she let out a satisfied sigh. When Natalia suddenly slapped the redheaded girl’s hand for trying to touch her she jumped a bit, not having been paying attention so she wasn’t exactly sure what had happened. When the older woman got onto Rose she gathered what she had been doing, but didn’t say anything until the girl haltingly asked permission, with Natalia’s help. “Oh…” she said at first, hesitantly, glancing at Natalia as she explained what Rose wanted to do, then back to the girl, nodding a bit, “Ah, yes, thank you…”

She let the other girl wash her hair while Natalia worked on her feet one at a time. She had to admit it all felt amazing, but it also felt very odd and awkward, laying here being pampered like this. Not even before she’d lost her job and been forced out onto the street had she ever been treated like this. Lydia almost felt a little bad, like she was taking advantage of them, but the girls and even Natalia seemed all too happy to do it. And Lydia wasn’t about to ask them to stop, enjoying herself a great deal and starting to relax. The constant tension in her body began to ease, and she even started to doze off a little until Coco asked her about her hair. “Oh… not that I know of,” Lydia told her, glancing back at Coco and then at Rose, she wanted to know about them, but she didn’t ask. She didn’t want to talk about her past, and she was sure they’d ask if she asked about theirs, so she just closed her eyes and relaxed, sighing softly. "This feels great," she admitted, not wanting to seem ungrateful.

Natalia had smiled, and poured the hottest water she had, adding in just enough soap, for the foam not to go over the edges. Everyone in the room, seemed all too happy about what they were doing, and receiving. Rose was alight with joy, like a Christmas tree, as her elegant fingers started with Lydia's arm. Coco was silently humming to herself, as she massaged Lydia's head. Natalia was thoroughly looking over Lydia's feet, making sure not to push too hard on any bruises, while thoroughly cleaning them, but never without a smile of pride. Both girls, and the older woman, seemed to take both great pride, and joy, in the work they were doing. While they were doing their jobs, they were also indulging their hobbies.

When Rose finished with one arm, she carefully let it sink into the water, if Lydia wished it, before moving to the other side, gently going to work on the other arm. As she did, Coco had almost finished getting Lydia's hair soaped, as Lydia exclaimed the pleasure of the work. Coco smiled widely, and giggled.
"We are glad to hear. This is what we do, when we work for costumers. We work a Salon, here in Lord Rasputin's Mansion. Many costumers, lot's to do." Coco said. Her English was clearly a little lacking as well, but a big improvement from Rose. She also seemed to like talking, but had looked down to Natalia, who just smiled up, nodding a single time as she continued on Lydia's second foot.
"You're welcome to small talk, dearies. Just remember the rules." Natalia said, without taking her eyes off of her work, but still with a smile. Coco nodded, as she picked up a pitcher of lukewarm water. She placed a hand above Lydia's eyes, as she started pouring, to remove the soap from her 'costumer's' hair, without getting water in Lydia's eyes. Again, she showed a proficiency in her work, not a single drop of water getting close to Lydia's eyes in the process.
"I do not know, how fond you are of your hair, but I'd like to tell you what I am doing to it? Because.. You're hair is very, very lovely, and I think a lot would be.. Be... Wanting? Je.. Uhm.." Coco struggled with her words, as her hand started stroking Lydia's hair gently, almost intimately, getting the last drops of soap out.
"Jealous, my dear." Natalia helped her along, again, without taking her eyes off of her work, having moved on to Lydia's ankle, cleaning up her lower legs, never going above her knees.
"Yes.. A lot of people would be jealous, of your.. Live.. Lively? Lively hair. So.. What I am doing, is using a very strong soap, just to get all the dirt out of it. Which is why don't let it sit. Ruin your hair, if it sit's too long. Instead, I am going to use an oil now, which will re.. Reinvigorate.. Your hair?" She finished in what sounded like a question, clearly pointed towards Natalia. Natalia smiled, nodding a few times. 'Reinvigorate' was a rather large word, for someone struggling with the English language, but it would seem Coco had practiced it. Proudly she smiled, as she got out the oil she intended on using.
"If you want, you can always come to the Salon and. Get the treatment again.. Very expensive oil, so can't give you one, to use yourself. But we have cheaper products, for when you don't wish to bathe with us." Coco explained, as her gentle finger's started massaging their way over Lydia's scalp once again, getting the oil onto every single strand of hair.

As Coco had been talking, Rose had finished with the second arm, and had started stroking her hand down Lydia's side's. Doing this, she was very careful to keep an eye on Lydia's face, and Natalia also stared at Rose slightly. Rose seemed to pause, gulping. She looked a little shyly back, and forth, between Lydia and the tub again. It seemed she had to build up a lot of courage, to speak.
"Uhm.. I.. I want t.. I would like to.. Help.. Wash your body? But.. I don't want to.. Touch.. Were you don't want me to touch.. So.. If.. You don't want.. Make sure to.. Let me know, okay? But.. Try to relax. And.. Let me. And just.. Try to remember I do this.. For -you-.. Not me. I want you, to.. Happy and wash. Clean! Happy, and clean. If un.. Unco.." She grimaced a bit, looking to Natalia, who nodded at how goo she was doing, with a motherly smile.
"..fortable.." Natalia tried to help Rose, by continuing the word, causing Rose to look back to Lydia, and continue.
"If.. If unfortable, l..."
"No, no.. You were almost right before. 'Uncomfortable'" Natalia added, not in a condescending, but a motherly lecturing voice.
"Uncomfortable, yes.. If uncomfortable, stop me. Okay?" She asked, as her hand's slowly continued. If Lydia didn't stop her, her hand's would continued down Lydia's side, still as gentle, and thorough, as they'd been on the arms. The stroke's weren't intimate, and seemed to expertly avoid putting too much tension, on the most usual soft, intimate spots down a human's side. The stroke's were clearly not meant to please, or tease, but clean. The hands would continue over Lydia's abdomen, making sure to stay clear of her sex, but instead focus upwards, over her stomach. The stroke's were still as gentle, and thorough as before, and Rose's eyes made sure to focus on Lydia's face, making sure to either slow down, stop, or remove her hands, if Lydia seemed to get uncomfortable with the touch.
If Lydia did not react negatively, or stop the little redhead's hands, they'd continue their work, all the way to Lydia's chest, over her breast's. The strokes, again, didn't squeeze, fondle or tease. They stroked and cleaned. If Lydia didn't think too much about it, it would feel more like she was cleaning herself, rather than another person.

Lydia soaked in the tub and was pampered like she had never been in her entire life, feeling a bit awkward and strange, but still enjoying herself a great deal. She looked at Coco as she started talking, sometimes with a little help from Natalia, about what it was that she and the other girls did. They worked at a salon here in the manor, tending to customers. That was an odd concept for her, having a salon inside your own home, not just because she usually thought of them as businesses out in the city. The amount of money that Vladimir had must be beyond anything she could easily imagine…

Then Rose drew her attention, cautiously and hesitantly telling her that if she ever got uncomfortable to just say so. Lydia nodded, and did seem a little uncomfortable and awkward at first as the girl started washing her body, but after a few moments she relaxed. The younger redhead was clearly just trying to be professional, nothing about her touch was inappropriate. So Lydia lay in the hot water and tried to relax while the girl cleaned the grime and dirt off her body, twitching occasionally when she would accidentally tickle her a bit.