Sweet Dreams

[Tessa Van Patten]

Tessa had spent the entire day ducking in and out of the Hog's Head and had she not spread her drinking out over the entire day she might have been a paralytic mess on the floor somewhere. She had eventually come to the conclusion at about three in the morning that she didn't want to pay for a room there and taken her smokey, semi-naked self and left. It was cold and so she had turned into a fox for a while to keep warm, trotting around the High Street for a while (a little unsteadily as it happened) seeking a cozy doorstep but found little.

She was a proud creature by nature and so asking anyone for help wasn't something she could easily do. The natural solution might be her brother but she would rather starve naked in the street than be in his debt. It was bad enough he was still convinced she was a murder. Tessa curled in the first doorstop that offered some sort of shelter and attempted to sleep but to no avail. She had grown to take for granted a more cushy lifestyle and she wasn't quite to the point of being able to pass out drunkenly on a doorstep.

Even as a fox it was still chilly and without a drink she was just laying there feeling sorry for herself and mourning the loss of her brothel. She got sat up and thought over her options, she was loathe to ask anyone for help but maybe she didn't have to, after all, she was good at imposing herself on people. From there, it took no time at all to decide who she was going to go harass. Tessa turned back again in order to apparate and as soon as her feet touched the floor again, she turned back into a fox.

Feeling pleased with herself for thinking up a better alternative to sleeping on the cold hard ground, she practically strutted down the deserted street until she reached a certain someone's shop. Fortunately there was a window left ajar which allowed her to admit herself into the building. She knew her way well enough to strut her way to his room without making much noise at all, save for the clicking of her claws on the floor. She leaped up onto the foot of his bed and eyed him for a moment for signs of being awake before stealthily approaching him and draping herself across his face.

WORDS: 414 | OUTFIT | SEPTEMBER 3rd, 1883 | LEON | NOTES:

  

[Leon Lupin]

Leon was, by all means exhausted. He hadn't been back in town long and thank Merlin he'd hired a competent manager for the shop, because that seemed to be the one thing that Leon didn't have to worry about lately.

He was sprawled across his large bed, tangled in the sheets, buck ass nude, snoring a little bit as he tended to do. Nobody had ever complained and he figured he'd earned it after a tumble. Not that many of his lady friends stayed the night, but those who did had never complained, about anything. Even in sleep he was smug, a smirk puling at the corner of his mouth.

The night air drifted through the open windows and he was content. It felt like a soft ocean breeze and that was when he slept best. He missed the steady rocking of a ship but he couldn't replicate that here. All of the business he'd been doing was in his port in Aberdeen and he hadn't stepped foot on a boat, which was a damn shame.

In always having been a moderately sound sleeper, Leon did not notice the pitter patter of little fox feet on the wood floor, nor the weight of a little body on his bed, until the fur was in his face. It registered half a second before he grabbed his knife what, or rather who was draped across his face. Slowly he grabbed Tessa's little fox body and curled his bare arms around her, holding her tight to his chest. "Hello Sunshine." Laughed and rolled over into his side, pulling her with him, still mostly asleep.

  

[Tessa Van Patten]

Tessa had been expecting to startle him into consciousness or partially smother him with her pelt but being cuddled was definitely not the top of her agenda. Did he often snuggle woodland creatures that randomly appeared in his bed? Probably not, she concluded, he knew it was her. She squirmed for a moment before tilting her head upwards and licking his chin. While she wasn't always averse to snuggling (with him anyway) it was a little awkward on her end as a fox. She much preferred to curl up to sleep in her animagus form than be squished.

Without further warning besides some chin-licking, she changed back to her smokey, somewhat sooty, pretty much naked human self. "Ahoy, Mr. Lupin," she murmured with a sly grin, hooking a leg over him as she did. He did manage to boost her mood a great deal but not enough to shirk the entire sense of loss for her brothel. Her grin fell away as the reason as to why she was there in the first place resurfaced. She sighed heavily and furrowed her brow.

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[Leon Lupin]

Leon chuckled quietly when she licked him. It was oddly affectionate, but he supposed what else was she supposed to do as a fox at this very moment? While Leon didn't often have company that spent the whole night, he wasn't entirely opposed to sharing his bed. Having a warm body in bed beside you was almost as good as an ocean breeze wafting through the window. When he had both he was a very, very happy camper.

As predicted, he wasn't holding a fox for very long. Not that Leon was complaining, he'd much rather hold a nice warm woman than some small woodland creature. "Sunshine, what brings you by this time of night?" He questioned, voice thick with sleep as he wasn't entirely awake, though the amusement was evident as well. Lucky for him this was not the first time she'd surprised him by appearing as fox, otherwise he would have just been damn startled. It was rare for somebody to get the jump on him twice.

Shifting again, he made room for her, letting her get tangled in as much as she liked. He was still exhausted, but he was easily convinced to be otherwise, should that be where she was heading with this visit.

  

[Tessa Van Patten]

Tessa had been tired a while ago but now found herself wide awake which wasn't the most helpful of things to be at four in the morning. "Oh many things... Drink and entertainment for starters," she chuckled a little as she got herself comfortable. She didn't really want to mention anymore the fact she was - to put it bluntly - homeless and unemployed. Without her brothel she was little more than a tramp in every sense of the word and it was doing a number on her pride.

She fell into unusually inactive silence and after a short while let out an unsettled sigh. "The truth of the matter is..." she paused to purse her lips ruefully as she was reminded of how damned pissed off the situation made her. "The Maison is gone," she concluded bluntly. "All gone! You would think in a wizarding town they might be able to deal with magical fires before my entire livelihood goes up in smoke!" She let out a growl of frustration. "Even the girls - my prostitutes were burned to a crisp! I've lost everything; my clothes, my liquor, my makeup, some very expensive perfume which, I might add, was gifted to me by very wealthy and appreciative patrons, the books and various other artifacts I don't imagine the looters will know what to do with!" She sniffed and realized her eyes were damp which made her wipe at them roughly. "It was sabotage too, some scheming, prudish bastard burned my brothel!" She tried very hard to keep the tremors out of her voice but only half succeeded.

At least she'd recovered her money but it was little comfort when rebuilding would leave her impoverished.

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[Leon Lupin]

Well he was awake now and certainly not in the way he had anticipated. In her silence he'd almost fallen back to sleep, still groggy, but once she continued the smirk that was usually on his face, even in sleep, fell for just a minute.

The Maison was gone, how unfortunate.

There were not many places Leon frequented, but he had enjoyed the brothel (and its Madam) for what it was worth. Tessa seemed much more upset about the loss of her business, rather than the girls who had worked there, which was callous, but this was Tessa he was talking to; she didn't exactly grow attached to anything but money.

"That's unfortunate." He said when she was done raging. On some level he felt bad for her, though he wasn't entirely surprised some prude burned her to the ground. People were crazy after all. "I have some spare clothes in the wardrobe you can have-" He eyed her with a half-smirk. Leon kept a few spare ladies clothes around in case he ruined those of the gals visiting. "And you can stay here if you need to." Leon was not usually this generous, especially with his space, but he had an odd soft spot for Sunshine and her predicament was pretty dire.

  

[Tessa Van Patten]

It felt good getting some of her rage out after bottling it up all day and unbottling the drink instead. She could still taste the lingering flavor of firewhiskey. She'd just have to rebuild was all and make it even better than before; it would be bigger, classier and attract more custom than ever. She'd see to it that Pamela's own business floundered when she reopened.

Tessa was somewhat surprised to hear he had clothes to offer - was he suggesting she wear his clothes or did he have some sort of extracurricular habit she had yet to discover? She was further surprised by the generous offer he made. Was he aware how long rebuilding might take? She smirked at him. "My, my, aren't you generous when you're half asleep!" Her mood was improving again - the prospect of somewhere to stay was a comforting one and for the first time in three days she felt relieved that she'd sent Lorna off to Hogwarts, even if she had landed herself in Gryffindor. One less person to look out for and she was reluctant to let Leon know she had a daughter, it wasn't something she cared to parade around for all the world to know and hear, the whole mother title cramped her style.

She turned over onto her stomach and shot him a sly look from the corner of her eyes. "You should know that it may take weeks to rebuild and in the meantime I may have little else to do other than lounge around in a state of undress, I hope that doesn't bother you..." Tessa unbuttoned her cloak and continued smirking at him. "And I can't promise rent since I need every knut I have but I'm rather good at showing my appreciation in other ways." She slipped out of the cloak and deposited it on the floor next to the bed, being careful to drop it as carefully as possible so her savings didn't escape the inside pocket.

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[Leon Lupin]

"I'm always generous." Leon countered, though he was easier to swindle when he was half asleep and there was a naked woman in his bed. He was pretty easily swayed in those circumstances. "Considering I work, I won't be around to enjoy that, but as long as you stay out of the shop, it'll be fine." He didn't need her in any state of dress down in the shop. that wasn't necessary. While Leon had a reputation for sleeping around, he didn't need it front and center in his place of business.

"Weeks you say?" He chuckled, adjusting in bed again as Tess slipped off her cloak. He could certainly enjoy this for a little while at least. "I can float you a loan too, if you need it. Unless you want a business partner, then I'm sure would could arrange something else." He was half-kidding, but Leon was a man of business and having the money-making mind that he did, he wouldn't mind having another venture to invest in. Not that he'd ever really given it serious thought. He already has his hands in a variety of networks, having a part in this one would be quite amusing.

This was also the most enjoyable semi-business meeting he'd ever had in his life. Discussing the possibility of a business partnership with a naked woman, in your own bed should be how business went. Things would certainly be much easier. Then they could seal the deal with some shenanigans and life would be splendid. Clearly he needed to get into the brothel business if this was how he would prefer to go about business.

  

[Tessa Van Patten]

"Worried I'll frighten your customers away?" she chuckled. While frequently one to think rules beneath her, she reluctantly figured she would appease him in that. She supposed it wouldn't be all too different than if she had a pedantically prudish priest trying to exorcise her customers for their lustful ways.

On the matter of loans, Tessa was exceptionally reluctant to be in debt to anyone be it for money or anything else and while she trusted him enough not to abuse the position, the entire idea left a bad taste in her mouth. If she wanted to rebuild bigger and better, however, she would need more money and unless she suddenly found a bag of galleons, she would need to borrow it. The idea of a business partner on the other hand? She wasn't so keen on that either, that meant likely sharing profits and while she didn't dislike him, she couldn't help her own greed.

She turned on her side and propped her head up with an arm, eyeing him suspiciously. "Business partner? What would be in it for me?" she asked, still scrutinizing him curiously. She assumed he was going to offer financial help in exchange for a share in her business and thus a cut of her profits and he'd have to make her a lucrative offer to bring her round. There was already one perk to striking up a deal with him, however, Tessa was sure her brother would have a fit and that was always entertaining... Provided he didn't tattle on her and try to get her arrested for murder, that would be a dampener.

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[Leon Lupin]

Leon could see the wheels turning in her head, but there was also quite a bit of hesitation as well. "As much as I enjoy having you around," He quirked an eyebrow at her. "I'm trying to keep a decent reputation in this town." Nobody needed to know he was housing a brothel madam in his bedroom for however long she was staying. "Clearly you're free to come and go as you please, as long as you use the back door to the outside." He wasn't really all that picky, but it wasn't that big of a request either, in his opinion anyway.

Grinning now, Leon rolled over on his side to face her, one arm tucked beneath his head as a pillow while he watched her. He couldn't quite tell if she was actually considering it or dismissing his offer completely, but as she asked what was in it for her, he figured she was at least curious.

"Oh you know, I've got money to burn. However, if I'm putting money in, I'm getting money out, but I do have other profitable ventures going. I don't need much. But you'd have a consistent benefactor, I've got a good head for business m'dear." He assured her. This would only be a bit of a bonus for him really. He was upper class by name and money, it wasn't like he needed anything else; this would be more like a hobby, a little side venture he could keep track of. He already owned a flourishing shipping business, or what was left of it. A nice chunk of his money had come from selling off some of the lesser shares of his company and he'd kept the stronger portions for himself, so he still made money off it. Leon was a shrewd business man beneath his charismatic exterior.

"It was just an offer." He said nonchalantly, thinking she would either take it or leave it, he didn't really care which way. If she went with the loan, he'd still make some money back with interest.

  

[Tessa Van Patten]

In a strange way she was rather flattered that he thought she could cause such destruction just by making a sly appearance in his shop. "It's always the back door with you men!" She was admittedly making a cheeky little innuendo as was quite apparent from her smirk. "I'm sure you have a very nice back door, I'll let you know what I think of it once I get to use it."

Tessa still wasn't sure what she thought of striking up a business deal with him, she felt quite certain she had enough business experience and expertise to pull it off single-handedly but she was well aware that she hadn't got nearly enough money to fund the kind of place she wanted to set up as well as support herself and fund Lorna's schooling and while she could pull Lorna out of Hogwarts, she hadn't gone and spent all that money on supplies just to waste it. Also it was a good way of getting the girl out from under her feet until she had her own roof again. She doubted her oh so generous bed buddy would really care to extend his welcome to an eleven year old.

Of the two propositions he had made, she much preferred the one that didn't involve paying back interest but then long term it could potentially leave her with emptier pockets. It wasn't something she could decide on lightly. If she took him up on his second offer then she might gain a useful resource, he surely had friends with sexual needs and as man, he had to know better than her what a man wanted, even if she did think herself fully informed in that area.

"I'm thinking bigger than last time. Quality over quantity, mind you, fewer girls but better at their job. That means fewer mouths to feed but I can charge more which means more profit." There was a hungry look in her eye as she envisioned her idea. "French champagne, silk, velvet, pretty faces and debauchery - all in the guise of a teashop! That way it could be on the High Street of Hogsmeade; I have plenty of customers who feel insecure visiting the slums when they have a reputation to protect, if it were on the High Street, it would be easy walking distance from the Hog's Head or The Three Broomsticks too. It might even lure in a few women, after all, who would think twice about Miss Hoitytoity paying a visit to a tearoom?" She was convincing herself the more she spoke the idea out loud. If letting Leon have a portion of the profits to make it a reality was the price then damn it, it was worth it.

She wrapped a leg around him and pushed him onto his back, perching herself on top of him smugly. "The girls would be trained to cater to the whim of any man, no matter how peculiar or questionable. They'd be taught to look and act like proper ladies until they're on their back. The ultimate pleasure house." She was smirking at him deviously at this point. "Who knows, the teashop might even make a little money. What do you say? Or do you need more of a taste of what you'd be getting into?"

WORDS: 552 | OUTFIT | SEPTEMBER 3RD, 1883 | LEON | NOTES:

  

[Leon Lupin]

The more she talked, the more amused Leon became. You would have thought that the loss of her brothel would be a little more traumatic, but right now it seemed more of an inconvenience than anything else. It seemed more like a spark of something she'd already been envisioning, and the demise of the Maison was just a little hiccup in the plan. Now though, it appeared that she was ready and raring to go, in more ways than one.

"Seems like you've put some thought into this." He chuckled, allowing her to push him around, amused as she positioned herself above him. Lazily his hands made their way up her thighs to rest on her hips. Grandiose plans for a brothel, but if anybody could putt it off, she could. Leon rarely met people with a head for business like Tessa. She was ruthless, to say the least.

"It does sound like something different, I don't think I've ever embarked on such a specific business venture, but hey, why not." He smirked at her in the darkness. "It's going to take a while to build, you're going to have to be careful about who you hire to do the construction, though I can probably help with that." He mused. He was now starting to get his own gears turning, though clearly he wasn't opposed to her specific brand of convincing. "I mean, if I'm going to get into business with you, I might as well know what you're selling." He said slowly, hands moving up her sides as he did, grin clear across his face.

  

[Tessa Van Patten]

"What do you think I used to think about when I spent all night, every night with my ankles by my ears? I certainly wasn't admiring the view," she replied wryly. It was true, she hadn't conjured the entire idea up in the matter of one day spent half-drunk and stinking of burned brothel, rather it was something she had aspired for the Maison to be in it's creation but a lack of funds and inexperience had held her back. She had always wanted her business to attract the wealthier end of the spectrum but she had had to create the Maison on the income of a prostitute when she hadn't even been able to keep all her earnings in the brothel, she had only secured as much as she had through determination and underhanded methods. She hadn't been content losing her independence to a life in a brothel, her pride and ambition demanded more; the fact of the matter was, Tessa liked being on top. She didn't like to do anything by half and so now that she had the opportunity for a fresh start, she would take it. It was a risk but she was certain it would pay off, and if it didn't... Well, she could always take all the money she could get her hands on and run.

He was right about it taking a long time, even if she got the plan in motion the moment she woke up tomorrow, it would take months. She had no idea what she was supposed to do with herself in the mean time, she had never been unemployed before, not unless you counted prison. What was she supposed to do with herself? Knit? "You're already proving useful, I'm impressed." She chuckled and steadily leaned forward as he spoke once more, pressing her torso flush against his and arching her back gently so her rear was hovering in the air above him. "That's always a wise decision," she murmured as she moved in on his neck, giving him a gentle introductory nip. "How do you want it, Pirateman?"

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[Leon Lupin]

"Can you really get your ankles by your ears?" Leon whispered, mildly amused and more than mildly aroused. It was an interesting prospect. But they were discussing business, or they had been up until a minute ago. Now he was pretty sure he was getting a demonstration of her new business. Well, he certainly wasn't going to complain. Not many men could say they had brothel madams coming to them in the middle of the night.

Grinning as she pressed herself against him, Leon reached his hands up behind his head in the epitome of the satisfied man pose. He quirked an eyebrow at her, though he had no idea if she could see him. Considering he was now fully awake, though his generosity of letting her stay with him would come with certain other conditions than the staying out of the shop, he was certainly not opposed to starting now. "Oh why don't you surprise me, which could take quite a bit of creativity on your part." He assured her. "I'm not easily surprised." He admitted. Of course being as promiscuous as he was, he'd tried quite a bit over the years. Then again, he was sure she had some tricks up her sleeve. Tessa certainly wasn't boring between the sheets.

Lazily, he ran his fingertips over her shoulders, a deliberate move to distract her while she thought. There was no rush after all and he was certainly feeling a little evil at the moment. Of course he'd struck up a business deal and was getting lucky all in the same hour, it had been a very productive hour to say the least.