Lily looked down, hiding the genuine smile that had covered her face when he blushed and told her he wasn't here for that. Oh if only the girls could see him now! They would talk about what they thought he was like, to talk to, to sleep with, you name it. None of their little fantasies were even close to what he was really like. Pushing her hair behind her ear, she put her weight onto one foot, causing her hip to stick out slightly so she rested one hand on that hip and the other rested on table,

"Business of the Mayor?" Her face dropped, she didn't like that man. She couldn't show it to him though, not if he was working for the guy. Of course, her views could have been biased. She knew no different than what the town was like now, where the Mayor would send over those who he favoured for 'discount' prices, which meant free. They were not generally nice guys, they were the sort who left the girls crying and beaten. It made Samantha livid and she could be heard stomping around the brothel, taking bare of the girls who had been used and abused.

Looking down on the desk for anything Samantha might have left her as a clue, there was nothing, so Lily finally made herself look into his eyes, frowning slightly,

"Um, Madame Slater didn't leave me anything... I'm not usually down here." She sighed and rubbed her fingers against her forehead. If he took this back to the Mayor, it could cause issues for Samantha and Lily didn't want that happening to the woman who had practically been a mother to her. "What was it? What were we expecting you for?" He obviously hadn't been sent for the 'discount' prices, he'd already admitted he wasn't here for that. She managed a small smile, apologetic in tone. She really didn't want to piss this guy off.

Lily grabbed the glass of whiskey she had been sipping from before he entered the establishment, it might have been too early for him but she tended to drink as early as possible. It helped to numb her mind and her body, which was a godsend with some men who came here. The brothel had it's fair share of clientele, some of whom were gentlemen, who treated the girls well and who came to them for things they couldn't get from other women. For some men it was purely about sex, but there were others who didn't really care for that at all. Lily had one man who came to see her who paid full price for a few hours just for her company. Sometimes they stayed in the bar and talked, sometimes they went to her room and played cards. Then there were the others, who treated them as though they were pieces of meat.

Lily was about to lead him into the lounge when he stopped her suddenly, asking her to cover up or something. Okay, that was a new one for her. He stammered to try and explain himself and Lily found herself unable to be insulted. She just couldn't wait for the girls to see. They would be begging her for details later on and Lily wasn't sure what she was going to say.

"Oh, of course." She glanced around, realizing that her clothes were in her room. Spotting his coat, she bit down on her lip. She had a choice, knowing the scantily clad girl who had walked past them was one of the ones who drooled over the poor guy and she was sat in the lounge. So, did she leave him alone with her whilst she ran upstairs to cover up or did she ask for his? Following him into the lounge, she smiled. "Would you lend me yours?" Her eyes glanced over to the other prostitute who was trying her best to look as though she was reading when her eyes were glued to him.

Taking the coat from him as he sat down, Lily gave the other girl 'the glare' that told her to keep her distance. There was an unwritten law within the brothel that you didn't take another girl's client. If a man picked you, then that's who he picked. There was a moment where they had a silent argument between them, before Lily pulled his coat on and sat down opposite him. She wouldn't sit beside him, not when he looked so nervous. She was so used to lounging on the chairs, seductively, that it felt strange to sit normally.

Lily sipped from her drink, her own nerves going haywire within her, sparking off each other like crackling fire. Her eyes moved to his as he asked about her, well at least they wouldn't be sat in silence. The problem was, Lily wasn't allowed to be honest with him, she wasn't allowed to tell him about who she really was. It was a rule Samantha had set in place to protect the girls. It was like a right of passage or something. When they entered the brothel, they were given new names and the old names were never to be used with the clients. They were meant to have no history and no future, just living for the moment.

"It's alright." She reassured him, she hadn't taken offense to his words. "I've been here for just over six years." She was one of the ones who didn't have a choice in the matter, that little gem had been left to the Mayor who decided it was a more fitting punishment for her than the gallows. "What about you? How long have you been working for the Mayor?" That time she couldn't hide the hatred in her voice and she quickly looked down to play with the sleeve of his jacket, running her small fingers along the stitching on the edge.

Well, this was certainly uncomfortable. The silences that fell after each reply seemed deafening in the deserted parlour, and Lily really wasn't used to that, she was used to the men being talkative to some degree. Still, despite the tense atmosphere, Lily couldn't bring herself to admit that she liked it that way, just being able to sit and not worry about acting the prize for someone.

She only meant to glance up to see if he had noticed the poison in her voice and taken offence to it, but his smile caught her eyes and she couldn't look away. Curiosity had caught her, and she frowned as she silently asked herself what he had been smiling about. He said he had been working for the Mayor a few years, vague, just as she had expected. At least she hadn't been told to mind her own business and slapped across the cheek for having the nerve to ask. Then he cornered her with his statement as to knowing what she thought, Lily scoffed slightly, how the hell could he know what she thought about him? She was good at acting the part, at covering her feelings... then bam, he got it in one.

"I don't know what you mean..." She took her glass in her shaking hand and gulped down the rest of contents. She couldn't tell him he was right, not when it could get back to the Mayor and she could find herself back on the gallows, or worse, Samantha out of a job. Her posture had changed, her back straight as she sat as a proper lady would, the sort she had seen in books and around the town.

Lily shivered when he looked at her like that, just like the other men who worked for the Mayor. There was a coldness in his eyes which scared her, even after he softened his expression. She listened silently as he went on about how the Mayor wasn't as bad as people thought, and Lily forced herself to stay still, to not show how much she disagreed with him about that. He was as bad as she thought, and she had good reason to feel that way. It made her blood boil to think someone could defend him like that, as well as making her feel sick to the stomach. He'd only ever been good to Sebastian? Well he'd only ever been cruel to Lily, threatening to have her hung for stealing a loaf of bread when she was a starving fourteen year old, letting her go through the whole case before finding her guilty. Letting her think she was going to die, then 'saving' her at the eleventh hour by sending her to the brothel to work out her punishment. Oh yeah, he was a gem.

Lily was slowly closing up, curling into his coat so that it was completely wrapped around her now, only showing her bare calves and her head. Her arms were tucked inside, nails digging into the flesh of her palm as she tried to control the emotions that memory had dredged up. She so badly wanted to tell this runner how evil his boss was, but she knew it was more than her life was worth. If it got back, the Mayor would likely have her guts for garters and close Samantha down. Lily couldn't risk that so she kept her mouth shut. Still, the churning in her stomach was getting worse. How could someone work for him and not see what kind of monster he was? She nodded numbly when he rambled, staring at her empty glass. When the hell was Samantha getting back?

She was usually good at noticing body language from people, but Lily was stuck in her own little world presently, overwhelmed with feelings she had tried to bury, memories of a girl that died the moment she stepped into the brothel. Sebastian offered to come back later, and Lily stood up, slightly shakily.

"Yes, perhaps that's a better idea." Sliding his coat from her arms, Lily handed it to him before leaving him and heading back to her desk, "Or I can tell Samantha where to find you, save you..." She felt something break inside of her, her voice fading out slightly. Placing a hand to her forehead, Lily glanced at Sebastian, "Excuse me..." She felt sick, lightheaded and her legs felt funny. Had she drunk too much? The brothel had a bar in the parlor, so Lily steadily made her way behind to grab a glass and fill it with water. "Just leave where you'll be on the paper... I'll have her come find you." Lily had her back to him, sipping at the water as she tried to take a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Across the parlor, the girl from earlier had noticed something was wrong, looking over the top of her book at the two of them.