The sewing shop was in a quiet side street, a dignified store with carefully arranged fabrics in the window. As Valentina entered, a small brass bell rang above the door.

  A friendly-looking woman with blonde hair tied into a convenient knot behind her head looked up from her work. "Ah, you must be Valentina." She smiled warmly. "I am Gretta. Madame Dolorosa told me you were coming."

  Valentina nodded nervously. "Yes, I..."

  "Don't worry," Gretta rose from the beautiful sewing work she was doing and motioned for Valentina to follow. "Everything here is well thought out. If anyone ever asks about you, you're one of my seamstresses working in the back right now." She winked. "See – not even a lie! You really are in the back area... Just a bit further back than most people think."

  Her quiet humor helped Valentina to relax. "Thank you for doing this for me."

  "Ah, welcome to the community," Gretta led her through the workshop, where several young women were working on their sewing. They all greeted her in a friendly manner, as if Valentina's presence was the most natural thing in the world. "We look out for each other, don't we, girls?"

  At the end of the workshop, Gretta pushed aside a heavy bale of cloth, revealing a well-hidden door. "This way."

  "That really is a very clever arrangement," Vyxara remarked approvingly. "She's nice and knows exactly how to put new arrivals at ease."

  The corridor behind the door was narrow, but clean and well-lit. It led them in a gentle curve to the left, where another door was waiting.

  "Madame Dolorosa is already expecting you," said Gretta. "Don't worry – there's always a bit of a nervous flutter on the first evening, but you'll see, it gets easier."

  Madame Dolorosa was already waiting for her in the Violet Delights dressing room. The tall woman was wearing a dark purple silk dress that shimmered in the light of the Essence lamps.

  "Welcome, my dear." She handed Valentina one of the ornate necklaces. "You remember how it works?"

  Valentina nodded and carefully put the necklace on. The metal was warm from the Essence patterns woven into it. She focused on the largest of the purple stones and began to weave the activation pattern.

  The familiar tingling sensation ran through her as the illusion manifested itself. In the large dressing mirror, she saw the beautiful blonde with the bright blue eyes again.

  "This will be your base illusion," Madame Dolorosa explained. "Lily, the young merchant's daughter from Clairmontine. A secure identity to protect you."

  She led Valentina to an elegant dressing table. "From this base, we can then fulfill the customer's special wishes. Of course, it's safer if you don't have to switch between your true form and the desired illusion."

  Two more young women entered the room, both presumably also transformed by illusion artifacts. One had long red hair and introduced herself as "Rose", the other was a petite brunette called "Violet".

  "Our more experienced girls," said Madame Dolorosa. "They will help you find your way around."

  "The first evening is always exciting," Rose said with a warm smile. "But don't worry – we've chosen a very friendly regular guest for you."

  Violet nodded. "Master Wildrich is a gentleman. Somewhat... particular preferences, perhaps, but completely harmless."

  "They prepare you carefully," Vyxara commented. "Very professional."

  Madame Dolorosa held out another strand of hair to Valentina – golden blonde like the first, but of a different shade. "Master Wildrich has... special wishes regarding the identity of his courtesan."

  Valentina took the strand and placed it in the corresponding compartment of the pendant.

  "He wants you to play his daughter," said Madame Dolorosa calmly. "Call him Father, play a little coy. Just a little role play."

  Valentina shifted her weight on her feet and raised an eyebrow. "His... daughter? But she's..."

  "Oh, how amusing," Vyxara giggled. "The humans and their little perversions. A real doozy right at the start."

  Madame Dolorosa seemed to sense her concerns. "She's an adult of course, otherwise we would have already sent him away. He is a respected older merchant, wealthy and cultured. He would never really get too close to his daughter, of course. The role-playing... well, he's just fulfilling a little fantasy. We don't want to judge."

  Valentina nodded slowly and concentrated on the transformation. The transformation was subtle – her features became softer, with her eyes a little closer together, the lips fuller. The merchant's daughter seemed to be a few years older than Valentina.

  Valentina nodded slowly and concentrated on the transformation. The transformation was subtle – her features became softer, with her eyes a little closer together, the lips fuller.

  "Perfect," praised Madame Dolorosa. "The spitting image."

  Shortly after, Valentina was shown into one of the elegantly furnished rooms on the upper floor. Master Wildrich was already waiting for her – a corpulent older man in expensive but tasteful clothes. His eyes lit up when he saw her.

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  "Melinda!" he called warmly. "My wonderful daughter!"

  Valentina forced herself to smile shyly and lowered her eyes. "Father..."

  He spread out his arms and Valentina reluctantly approached him, letting him pull her into an embrace. His belly was soft and warm against her body, his perfume pungently sweet.

  "You look so adorable, my darling," he murmured, stroking her hair.

  ~

  "Was it nice for you, my darling?" he asked with a smile.

  "Yes, father, it was wonderful," she said in a kind tone.

  Master Wildrich leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Melinda," he murmured.

  Valentina let it happen and gave him a feigned smile. "I love you too, father..."

  He got up and left the room, leaving her alone in the large bed.

  "I think you're right," Valentina thought. "He doesn't really want his daughter. He wants the idea of it – the power, the control, the submission."

  "Precisely observed," Vyxara purred. "You're getting more and more perceptive. Humans create complicated fantasies to disguise simple desires. He could achieve the same with almost any role."

  "But he chooses this one of all things," Valentina thought with a touch of bitterness.

  "Because it's forbidden," the demon replied. "It's the taboo that makes it appealing to him. Men are sometimes very... one-dimensional."

  ~

  After she had washed up and returned to the salon, she was still surprised at how easy it had been for her. She had simply played her part. Granted, if she hadn't been able to talk to Vyxara and had been alone in her head, she might have found it to be more difficult.

  "You did well," Vyxara said gently. "You fulfilled a harmless dream for a lonely man. And earned a tidy sum on the side."

  Valentina looked at herself in the mirror, still in her base illusion as blonde Lily. To her own surprise, she felt no shame, just a strange mixture of relief and... yes, even a little pride. She had done it. She had overcome her trepidation and found a way to get it over with.

  "That was just the beginning," she thought.

  "Yes," Vyxara confirmed. "But a promising start. You're a quick learner, little Weaver. As always."

  Later that night, as Valentina walked through the snow-covered streets back to the university, she organized her experiences in her mind.

  "It was... really different from what I expected," she thought.

  "What did you expect?" Vyxara asked curiously.

  "I don't know. Actually the same things you expected. More... despair? More shame?" Valentina turned into a quiet side alley. "Instead, it almost felt like a play. Admittedly a pretty weird play."

  "The illusion artifacts make a big difference," Vyxara agreed. "They create distance. Protection. You never really have to be yourself."

  "And the other girls..." Valentina thought of Rose and Violet, of their warm welcome, their practical advice. "They were so... normal."

  "What did you expect? Desperate streetwalkers?" Vyxara's mental laughter sounded warm. "This is a very special establishment, little Weaver. Madame Dolorosa chooses her employees carefully. They may even be students, like you."

  The Emberwardens at the university gate only searched her superficially – they were tired and inattentive at this late hour. Valentina had nothing suspicious on her anyway.

  Once in her cold attic room, she lit the small lamp and sat down on her narrow bed. The events of the evening already seemed like a strange dream.

  "I wonder what the Illuminator is looking for there, what fantasy he's fulfilling" she muttered.

  "We'll find out," Vyxara assured him. "Give yourself time to settle in. Build up your confidence. The other girls will tell you what they know soon enough."

  Valentina nodded wearily. She had found a way to not only solve a good part of her problems, but maybe even find out more about Eastwald's intentions. It wasn't a way she necessarily liked, but it was a way that might work.

  "Thursday again," she thought as she lay down to sleep.

  "Get some rest, little Weaver ," Vyxara purred softly. "And don't think about it so much. The next few days belong to your studies."

  Nodding and yawning, Valentina extinguished the light.