And they were roommates

[For Olivette Pryor]

It was still early in the morning. The Crimson Rose wouldn't open for another hour or so, but Leoric was already at the establishment to prepare for the day. He had told Olivette to sleep in a little, and that he would make sure the brothel was ready for when their regulars would come in. He had left their home and was now replacing empty and almost empty bottles behind the bar, washing glasses and giving the tables a wipe down. 

Leo greeted Olivette's workers when they started to arrive, blushing a bit when Noah entered. They chatted for a few moments before the man headed upstairs to prepare his room. Leoric took a seat behind the bar and sighed. He really liked Noah. He was one of Noah's regulars, and the man certainly didn't mind that cause it meant he got a little extra money to keep it a secret that Leoric preferred men over women. 

The bearded man had just put his hair in a manbun when the door opened again and he saw Olivette walk in. "Hey", he said with a smile, holding out an arm in her direction to indicate that if she walked over, he would give her a hug. "Did you sleep well?"

After being encouraged by Leo to sleep in, Olivette had rested well past her usual time of waking. But she preferred to be at the Crimson Rose when they opened for the day, so she eventually eased herself from the bed and ran a hand through her lengthy blonde hair. It was so good of Leo to insist she sleep in, as last night has been rather busy at the brothel. Whenever there was tension in the city, people seemed to require more physical forms of stress relief. Even she had found herself accepting a client, though one of her regulars.

Olivette made quick work of dressing herself, settling on a dress in a deep forest green before securing her corset and fresh undergarments. Her line of work had her quite proficient at dressing herself, and her blond hair was nearly brushed and styled off to one side.

She ate a light breakfast before she set off toward the brothel, a lace fan in her hand as she set off. The town was already a buzz with people working and milling about their daily chores. But the sight of the Crimson Rose made her smile as she walked around toward one of the main entrances, giving a polite nod to Isabel as she rushed past to finish waking Anna and Talia. Those two were rather popular, so it wasn’t surprising that they overslept. As she walked into the main room, she could help but smile at Leo, easily choosing to walk toward him and accept the hug, giving his cheek a quick kiss.

“Not so soundly once you left, but I did rest well, thank-you.” She said with a smile as she gently pressed a hand to his chest. “How’s the stock on the wines? Isabel said the last delivery was short a case due and we were promised an extra case next week.” Aside from Leo and herself, Isabel was one of the girl who also helped handle the books.

Seeing Olivette would never fail to make him smile. Leoric put an arm around her and smiled when she kissed his cheek. He hummed softly at her response, sad to hear she hadn't been able to sleep better, but still glad he had been able to convince her to sleep in a little.

He would let go of her again and threw the towel over his shoulder before leaning his hands on the bar. The next thing she said made him smile again, not because it was funny but because Olivette went straight to business again. He admired her for it. She was a real Madame of the house, she put all her time and effort into making the place enjoyable for everyone, employee and client alike. Leo had to remind himself to respond, because he was so caught up in admiring Olivette's dedication that he had almost forgotten to. "It has indeed been delivered", he said. "But maybe it wouldn't hurt to consider a new supplier. The case was just standing in front of the door when I arrived. We're lucky nobody took it." He was not happy at all about the service their supplier had been giving them. "I've put it in the back, with the other crates, so it's safe now."

Olivette gave Leo a warm, appreciative smile. "Thank you, Leo. I trust your judgment. You're right, we can't afford to have our deliveries left out in the open like that. It’s unacceptable." She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "We need reliability, especially with the reputation we have to maintain. I'll start looking into new suppliers first thing tomorrow."

She paused, her expression softening as she looked at him. "But for now, let’s focus on tonight. I want everything to be perfect. I’ve been introduced to a few new clients, and I could use your help making sure they follow the rules. I don’t need them upsetting any of the girls or guys working tonight."

Her hand reached out to rest on his arm, squeezing gently. "Thank you for always being here, Leo. I couldn’t do this without you."

He nodded, agreeing with what she said. The Crimson Rose had a pretty good reputation, he'd say, so he would hate to see it get tarnished by lousy suppliers.

"Who are these clients?" he asked, out of curiosity, not jealousy. Never jealousy. Although he did sometimes dislike it when Olivette took clients herself, because he cared about her and he was afraid of her getting hurt. "I'll keep an eye out, but hopefully there won't be trouble, if they know what's best for them." Leoric chuckled.

He smiled warmly at her when she placed a hand in his arm. He placed his own hand over hers and squeezed back. "Of course, Oli. For you, always, through thick and thin, you know that." He truly didn't know what he would do without her. She had saved him. He couldn't imagine having married someone else, who didn't know about his secret, and having to pretend all the time. With Olivette, he could be himself.

“Oh, just some visiting friends of Lord Crowe. I don’t expect trouble from them, but you know I just like to err on the side of caution.” She said with a gentle sigh, leaning against the bar and settling her blue gaze on him. Of course, Leo knew about her long standing history with Ewan Crowe. He was her longest consistent client and the whole reason the Crimson Rose had even been able to come to be. He was the only client she never turned down.

“And I won’t be taking them, I’ve got some work to do with the books and need to get word to the apothecary… some of the girls are a bit more popular and I want to ensure they have options.” Of course, there was the occasional pregnancy that someone wanted to have and carry to term, but most of the working girls preferred to not putting themselves at such a risk. Even Olivette was known to encourage the use of herbs for when a client wasn’t able to control himself. Of course, it wasn’t encouraged for long term use, as some could find themselves becoming permanently infertile or getting sick. Even Olivette preferred ‘coitus interruptus’, herself. Though mostly because the topic of children wasn’t exactly one she and Leo had branched just yet.

His use of her nickname brought a broad smile to her lips. Leo truly was her best friend and she loved him dearly. It wasn’t often that the Madam of the brothel was happily married to a man who didn’t insist she quit work or submit to him. Leo was her perfect partner, through and through. “I don’t deserve you Leo, but am so pleased to have you!” She rested her forehead against his shoulder, just enjoying the ease conversing with him always was.

He did indeed know about that, and Leoric had his own opinions about Ewan Crowe, but wouldn't share them unless they would benefit the business. He tried not to show his dislike of certain clients, as to not harm the Crimson Rose. Leo nodded, glad that Oli wouldn't be taking the clients herself. He had never objected to it, because it wasn't his place, but he did sometimes worry it would harm her status if people knew she was 'easy'. The was the Madam, first and foremost. Of course she could do with her body what she pleased, and Leoric wasn't one to get jealous, but in the bigger picture, it was better that she only sometimes took clients.

"Definitely tell them again that I'm a safe person, too, if they ever need something", he said. If the girls needed help, or if they found themselves pregnant, he would be there for them as well. He got along well with most of them, anyway.

The subject of sex was something that wasn't uncommon to them. They worked in a brothel, after all. Still, sometimes there was this silence between them after a discussion about sex had taken place, because they both knew they didn't really participate in it together. They had done it a few times, either because Leo wanted to see if he didn't also like women, or to please Olivette if she wanted something, but they definitely didn't do it on a regular basis. The topic of children was only a few more silences away, he thought. It was something they'd need to tackle then.

The man placed a hand on the side of her head as she leaned it against his shoulder, gently stroking her cheek. "You deserve everything in the world, my love", he said with a smile. Even as platonic soulmates, he liked to call her his love. She was, after all, just not in the way one would think. "I'm really proud of you."

Olivette smiled softly, leaning into Leo’s touch. His words always had a way of making her feel seen, even in the silence that followed their conversations about the business, sex, or anything else they carefully navigated. She knew what he meant without him having to say it outright, and that unspoken understanding between them was one of the reasons their relationship worked so well.

“Thank you, Leo,” She said quietly, her voice filled with warmth. “I couldn’t ask for a better partner in all of this. You’ve always been there for me and the girls, and they know it. I’ll make sure they’re reminded, though. It means the world to them—and to me.”

She shifted, turning her face up toward his, her smile a little more mischievous now. “As for Ewan Crowe… I know you hold your tongue out of respect for the business, but you can’t hide from me. I see how you tense up when his name comes up. He won’t get anything from me that I don’t want to give, I promise you that.” Ewan was… well, Ewan. And her own thoughts and feelings toward him were quite confusing. But he was also one of the only client who could consistently afford her, even if she did entice him with other girls at times. She knew Leo didn’t take issue with her accepting clients for herself, it wasn’t a jealousy thing. But he was careful to remind her of her reputation. A Madam wasn’t supposed to be easy.

There was a brief pause, the familiar quiet settling between them after their talk of clients and sex. Olivette didn’t mind the silence; she embraced it as part of the unique bond they shared. Still, there was that lingering thought of what might come next—the topic of children, something they both avoided but would have to face eventually.

“I’m proud of you, too,” She added, her voice soft. “You’ve helped me build something here, something real. And whatever comes next, I know we’ll face it together.”