Thread: The Star of Sakura House (Poppy x Crushedbyheels)

It was a beautiful spring day, and the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Of course, this was hard to tell from Yoshiwara. The heart of the pleasure district in Edo was a place where women worked at the task of selling their bodies. This was a place where very few women wished to be. Most had been sold to the various houses in order to pay for their familys debt, typically when they were young children. Then they were thoroughly trained until the age of 15, when they could start to work to pay off their debt. But the debt of living, not working, for so many years added to the initial debt meant that most women stayed there working for their entire lives. Of course, there were a few girls who managed to convince a client to buy out their contract. When that happened, they became the mans wife or a member of their harem. Of course, the girls that actually managed to work through the debt and leave the life of a prostitute behind, got married to men of lesser means and had to return to selling their bodies in order to pay the bills. It was rare that a woman managed to earn enough to buy her own freedom. When it happened, it was the Oirans who tended to manage to complete such a task. They were the highest trained of the prostitutes, earning the title of courtesans. They knew had to perform all sorts of entertainment, along with providing their bodies for pleasures that some men would kill for. In Sakura House, Kiku was the highest ranked Oiran, having obtained the title by age 18. Of course, it helped that her skills in bed were legendary. She had been the subject of Ukiyo-e paintings, and countless ballads. Men travelled from all over the country for the chance to spend a night with such a talented woman. She had earned enough money to pay back the brothel ten fold, but she still insisted on staying. After all, she knew no other life. Kiku had no family, having lost her family in an attack from the Inoue clan. Kiku had been sold into Sakura House by a man who came to her Kikkawa clan village, searching for children to sell for profit. She was regarded as a remarkable beauty, due to her strange red eyes. The man knew he had a profitable child, and quickly went to Edo in order to sell her in Yoshiwara. So she had nothing to return to. As she had been at Sakura House since she was seven, this was all that she knew. Due to her high status, she was not required to go to the front porch of Sakura House, to lure in customers. The women had to sit behind bars all day, attempting to entice customers, to try to find one willing to spend some money and time on them. If they dared to act sad about their lot in life while out representing the house, they were punished harshly and had extra fines tacked on for this disobedient nature. A house could even choose to sell a troublesome girl into a lower house, but such a thing rarely occurred. Kiku was so popular, that the Mother of the House gave her a personal room, a former banquet room, in order to ply her trade. It was lavishly decorated, thanks to the various gifts from her patrons. There were fine instruments in order to entertain her customers, and plenty of beautiful kimono for her to choose from. Her furniture in the room was of the highest quality, having been a gift from her most generous patron. There was a small room off to the side, the quarters for her personal servant. Some of her customers had begged to pay for her, to marry her, but she refused them. Living a life like this gave her the freedom she wanted. Kiku didnt have to answer to a single person. And one day, the Mother of the House would appoint her as Mother if she continued on such a path. After all, her looks would fade one day, but her wit would not. The star of Sakura House was in her mid-twenties, and appeared absolutely bored with life. She was dressed in her most lavish and colorful kimono, wearing them in many layers. The designs and colors were suitable for the spring season, a scattering of sakura blossoms on a black background. A crane was on her obi, which tied in the front in order to help her patrons gain access to her body. Her hair was impeccably done, lacquered finely thanks to her weekly hair stylist appointment that she had just attended at the beginning of the week. The hair ornaments in her hair were beautiful, and expensive enough to purchase the freedom of at least two girls in her House. And to think, Kiku had an entire jewelry box filled with such priceless ornaments. Kiku was currently smoking her kiseru, using a neck pillow to support her elbow, hand resting on the side of her face as she laid in her room. She only had ony appointment that evening, with her most generous patron. Whenever he visited, she was certain to take the day to prepare, as he was a handful to manage. As she did her best to relax, she had to wonder where her servant was, wondering what the man was doing. He was the only servant in the entire House that was a man, but Kiku had wanted it that way. After all, if he would ever be tempted to sleep with any of the women here, he would be punished harshly by his mistress. She tapped her kiseru into a small container to the side, emptying the ashes. Whenever he appeared from the menial task he was certainly performing, he needed to be punished. After all, he was fortunate enough to have his own room attached to hers. That meant that he needed to be on call, every day, until he could possibly purchase his own contract from her. The dark haired beauty sighed, obviously irritated as she suppressed a yawn.