I felt something touching my face with their soft hand while I laid on something soft and comfy. It was hard opening my eyes with a light above me, but as soon as I moved my face away from whoever was touching my face, the light was moved.
"He's awake!" A girl's voice said. I sat up from the chair I was on, feeling the velvet under my hand, and looked at my surroundings. I was in a unknown building that looked like a bar mixed with a lounge?
The more I focused my eyes, the more I noticed that this "lounge" had poles on top of stages. Slowly getting it, I flinched and looked over to a girl in small clothing looking at me with a wet rag in her hand.
"Good to see you're awake" she smiled at me. I coughed and looked away, feeling a bit weird how I had a half naked girl right next to me "Our bartender found you outside in the alleys pass out near our little bar" she continued. A large man in a vest and tie came up to me with a bottle of water.
"Here, kid" I took the water and opened the seal "You should stay hydrated after sweating so much back there. You alright?" He handed me my Pokédex "Once you're good here, you can head out. We don't open until tonight. I turned off the location on you device since this is a private area" I looked in my Pokédex, seeing that it really was off. Where am I, exactly?
"Don't be mean to him!" The girl next to me said and then smiled at me "Take your time to recover, honey. Were you running away from something? Why were you in that alley on your own?" I chugged down the cold water and groaned afterwards.
"I was following someone I thought I knew, but I couldn't catch up" I admit. I didn't know these people, and it was risky being in the middle of a building that's in alley, so I should spare my reasoning on why I was passed out and should leave as soon as possible like the bartender said.
"Someone? What did they look like?" The girl asked "Oh, by the way" she offered her hand to me "I'm Valerie. Nice to meet you" we shook hands. This is a bit awkward... Why did I end up in a place like this? It was difficult to even keep my eyes on hers when she's wearing little to no clothing!
"Hi..." I blushed and looked down at my water bottle "I should leave" she pulled me back before I got the chance to get back on my feet.
"What's the hurry, darling? Why don't you stay awhile?" I sat back down and looked at her smiling at me "You shouldn't go out there when you were passed out not too long ago. Stay awhile until you're positive you're well enough to go" I sighed and looked down. She stood up "let me get you another wet towel" I slowly nodded and glanced away "what's wrong?"
"Sorry... It's just that..." the blood in my face was extremely hot. She giggled and went to grab a long kimono hanging on the wall to put on and cover herself.
"Forgive me. I'm sure it might be uncomfortable for a child"
"I'm a college student..." she gasped and covered her mouth with her sleeves.
"Oh my! I'm sorry! With all that acne, I thought you were a teenager" I rubbed my face and looked away more, hating how that was pointed out. It's due to stress, so it's not going anywhere anytime soon "You look so young! Don't take it as an insult! I didn't mean anything by it"
"Whatever" I sighed. She left and came back to wipe my face after getting me to lay down again on the long chair I was on.
"Don't worry about this. This is a lounge where many business people come and enjoy themselves. Me and my other coworkers do this all the time. We are here to make our clients relaxed and even talk about their problems if they want to. You don't have to worry. Even if we're in the middle of an alley, we're not dangerous. You'll be leaving here relaxed and ready for the next day"
"So this is a place where men come to either watch half naked women dance on poles or relax with them or something?"
"Exactly! We also do spa treatments and one night stands if that's what you're into" I flinched at what she just said and felt lightheaded all of a sudden. My head fell sideways and saw stars around me "What just happened?!" She held my forehead.
"Sorry... I just didn't expect to hear that" I sniffled, holding back the nosebleeds "I really didn't need to know all that" she giggled.
"Awe! Are you a virgin?" I gulped, trying to calm myself down or else I might pass out again. I ignored the pain in my chest and looked away "Nothing to be ashamed about. I'm sorry I suddenly said that" she brought my head back to look up so she can keep giving me massages I didn't ask for, but it felt really nice... "We offer many kinds of services here. I don't regularly work here, but the other girls who work here can offer any service you can ask for. Not much is limited. Anything starting from just wanting to talk to someone, coming here to get some relaxation, wanting to party, or just sleep with someone, we can do here with a small fee" she waved her hands "I'm not clocked in, so consider this a nice gesture. You don't have to pay me for this" I sighed.
"Okay then..." I closed my eyes and enjoyed the massage "I'll probably have to pay you to give me a back rub then?"
"Yes" since she explained everything so vividly, I felt like I could sort of relax in her hands, but I didn't have any money to spare for a massage that could help my body tensions. The head massage was already doing wonders "I see that you're a trainer" she said "Are you going on an adventure for summer break?"
"Yeah..." I sighed with my eyes closed "It's been a long time since I've been on a journey. It's been about 6 years since I bothered going since I had the need to study all the time. Because of this, I ended up hurting my body and build up so much stress that my heart wasn't strong enough to keep up with me when I do simple paces. I passed out in the middle of my final exam, still passing, but I worked myself up to the point where I feel angry that I might not be able to join my friends. I just started and I feel like I have to end it" I tried not crying, but I did "Anything that makes my heart run is painful. I hate myself for putting myself through it"
"Why did you do it?" I took a deep breath.
"My parents divorced when I was 15. Since I became the man of the house, I wanted to work harder in school, but studying alone wasn't the reason why I became like this. I kept skipping meals and lost sleep all the time to keep my mind off my friend that disappeared a year later. I've been forcing myself to forget all thats happened in so little time, but I'm trying to get better" I squeezed my eyes so the extra tears can get out "I lost my perfect scores by decently passing my final, but passing out made me realize what I did to myself. I'm going to be on my last year of college soon and I've wasted so much time"
"Your life is just starting to begin" Valerie said "You might have lost some of your teenage years, but life is always different in between years. Everyone grows differently than others. Who you were as a kid or teenager is completely different, especially when you turn into an adult. There are some adults who still act like children, but I think you'll be just fine" I smiled and closed my eyes to relax again "It's unfortunate that you had to go through so much that it turned out this way. You're lucky our bartender found you"
"Yeah, I guess I was lucky nobody kidnapped me" she giggled at my joke "I want to start my journey right, but I couldn't even do that. I'm going with friends, but I don't want them to worry about me all the time. It would be nice if I can go with someone who doesn't mind taking care of me, but that'll be asking for too much. I have to do this on my own"
"You want to rent one of our girls?" I sweat dropped.
"That sounds wrong" she laughed.
"Like I said before, we offer many kinds of services! I'm sure we can find you a girl that won't mind going on this journey with you" I sat up and looked at her "She can even fulfil any kind of needs for you! If you need to relax, she's on it! If you need someone to give you a massage, give you a dance, or just talk, she'll be on it! Of course, all this will be a big charge, especially if she's going to be leaving this building. We often have private rooms for our guest, but it's extra to leave" I shook my head and stood up.
"I don't have that kind of money on me. I wouldn't want to have a stranger following me like they're my slave or something. Someone who is willing to join me in the journey because she wants to explore with me would be nice, but I'll have to be extra careful. I'm getting better, but I still need time. Thank you for your offer"
"One of our girls doesn't take cash" The bartender said, polishing some glass cups "She's almost your age, so she's not allowed to have sex yet in our services until she turns 21"
"You mean Yvonne?" Valerie asked "I never really thought to offer her service"
"Yvonne?" I asked. Valerie smiled.
"She's an adorable girl who is just as skilled as many of the girls who work here, she just hasn't done the naughty services. She's only 20, but our staff can only sleep with our guest if they both are 21 or older. You also need to get tested for sexual transmitted diseases. She's a bit sassy, but I don't really see her often since my main work is in Laverre City. She doesn't take cash. What she does take is a personal piece of jewelry you have to offer"
"Just jewelry?" I raised my brow.
"Yes! The more expensive and valuable it is, the more service you get! She'll be of age soon, so if you want to do anything with her, you can, but later. We want our clients to always respect our girls" I sighed and cupped my face. I don't care about the rated X stuff. If I can get the opportunity to have someone who can just look after me, I'll be fine. Nothing has to happen between us, but what would my friends think?
"Of course I'll respect them, but I don't know... This is still pretty weird. What if what I have to offer isn't good enough? I would like for someone to be with me when I need them, but if it cost extra for someone to leave the building... I'll just be wasting my time"
"It's better to make sure!" Valerie stood up and waved her hand for me to follow her "Meeting them will also do you some good! She can tell you what she offers. Everyone has a different talent. Let's talk to her and see if what you have can set the deal" she took my hand and walked me up some stairs. I had to be extra slow just to make sure I don't overdo it, but she didn't seem to mind.
After a moment of climbing a few steps in a building that looked like a apartment complex, the both of us faced a red door with a Y sign in front of it "Yvonne is the only girl that doesn't clock in. Since she only takes payments by jewelry, it's a bit different. I don't really know much of her services, but she'll gladly tell you" she knocked on the door "After the agreement, we always have to form a contract for legal reasons. Any kind of violation will be taken seriously. We wouldn't want anything happening" I nodded and took a deep breath over and over, wanting to be calm and ready for this crazy idea I can't believe I agreed on.
"Coming!" Someone sang from the other side of the door. I gulped, leaned down, and held my stomach in pain. I'm getting nervous... I shouldn't be doing this.
"I can't do this..." I walked away "I'm leaving"
"Wait!" Valerie called before the door opened. I froze and slowly looked over at the girl I was following earlier today. She had fair skin with a platinum blonde bob hairstyle and really pretty blue eyes that brought back bad memories of the friend that went missing. They almost had the exact same eyes, but that friend wasn't pale, nor had blonde hair like that. Something in me just wanted to believe I found her, but it's not her...
"Hello" she turned to Valerie "May I help you with something?" Valerie looked over at me and gestured her hand to introduce us.
"Yvonne. This is a potential client. He's not sure whether to do this or not because he's pretty shy" Yvonne giggled. I kept my back turned and stood up to try to go back there to face them, but I held my head as it was starting to go light again "He was wondering if you have a second to go over your services. He's going on a journey and needs someone to join him because of his condition" I cupped my face and leaned on the stair ramp "Dear, are you okay?"
"Sorry..." I said "I'm a bit nervous, is all..." I looked at my shaking hands "my anxiety is pretty bad" I could feel them frowning behind me "Don't worry about it... I think I'm just going to head home. This was a bad idea. I can't go on a journey"
"Hold on a second" Valerie frowned "But you seemed like you were looking forward to going on one!"
"Not like this" there was a moment of silence before the girl spoke up.
"Why don't you come in for some tea? I just made some" I looked at the girl surprised, seeing her offering me a smile that made my heart race. I coughed and lost my balance. Valerie held onto me and helped me walk into the room. That smile... It was too much to bare. It looked just like my friends.