The Queer Sycamore

Watchful Eyes:

A story by Caducee

Chapter three

Lily's eyes opened wide upon entering The Queer Sycamore the next evening. Smoke filled the staircase where the receptionist had indicated her to go to try her outfits. The scent of smoke, sounds of ruffled fabric and low quiet moans, and blurs moving through the thick grey veil of gaseous substance. She took a step forward and found herself colliding with sweaty skin moving in slow wavy motions. She backed away, collided with someone smoking an illegal substance - probably Danger, a substance she had had to study at Auror Academy in her first year right out of Hogwarts - and backed away again. Only, this time, someone grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back.

"Geraldine? Sorry, I missed you. That's your name, right?" a female voice said into her ear, overpowering the other sounds.

"Yes," she replied just as loudly.

The other nodded. "I was supposed to give you a full backstage tour. We're going to go into the costume room..." She glanced dryly at the shadows in the corners surrounding them. "Don't mind them, they're long-time workers. Some costumers actually buy some time with them before every show. Some are just enjoying each other before. Kind of gets them in the right mood, if you see what I mean."

Finally they exited the room and the woman led her towards another, this one crack-full of costumes, casual wear and, basically, anything that a real exotic dancer could wish for.

"My name is Rochelle." Lily was finally able to make her out and noticed that she was rather on the petite side and had an Asian look about her that Lily thought was easy on the eye.

She wore a skin-and-white coloured bra top with fringes flowing from the bottom hem and a few flimsy transparent multicoloured saris over white knickers. The effect had been stunning at first, but Lily had eventually grown used to it.

"So, what's your style?" the girl asked with the dimmest of winks, pondering as she studied Lily like the palm of a hand. "With red hair, something like red, yellow, beige, black, green or white is really stunning."

"I think I would like that. And I'm up for any sexy effect," Lily answered.

Rochelle grinned with a cocked eyebrow. "Like to please, don't you?"

Lily would have blushed profusely hadn't she thought at that precise moment about her mission. "Sure," she replied, brushing her off.

The other smiled and shuffled through racks of clothes and threw Lily - or rather Geraldine - a black fishnet pantyhose with several holes, a red and black lace corset, a black garter and a white mini-skirt.

Rochelle nodded appreciatively before ushering her in a room full of accessories and makeup. "You have thirty minutes to get ready. See you out there."

Lily saw her close the door and promptly turned to the vanity full of crayons, sparkles, glitter, lipsticks and such spread out on the table. She sat, rolled her eyes at the exaggerated coquetterie and produced her wand before beginning to work on her hair and face. "I'll be lucky if I survive this tonight," she grumbled to herself.

A couple of minutes later, a few panting and malicious-looking girls waltzed in, smoothing their clothes into place and tying laces here and there. Lily recognised them as some of the girls she had seen in the shadows earlier. She felt so out of place as the girls started babbling about the men they'd just had that she left the makeup room to find solace in the bustling backstage area. There were girls doing their thing up front and it gave her the jitters just to think that this was going to be her very soon.

Figures were moving inside the brothel in steady flows now; Lily had never heard much about The Queer Sycamore, but from what she saw tonight the place was a hot spot. Music was pumping out of thin air in a slow jazz cadence from the stage musicians who apparently worked in very close contact with the dancers and singers. The atmosphere was one of complete laxity and abandon. Everyone was comfortable around Lily. They spoke in low raspy tones and enjoyed a last fag off to the side, the smoke swirling around them in thick and heavy curtains as if dancing a slow intoxicating rumba.

Wellman suddenly stepped in and wordlessly took the stage. The noise in the room and backstage area died down instantly. "Gentlemen... Ladies... Let me introduce you to my newest discovery. She comes to us from Bristol and will be in the team from now on, so let's leave her the pleasure of introducing herself properly... Geraldine!"

Lily saw Rochelle, out of nowhere, grasp for her and push her onto the stage. She nervously stepped up and let Rochelle magick her voice to amplify it so that everyone would hear her voice. Lily spied the dark room and walked forth into the limelight, where cat calls and whistles of appreciation suddenly resounded.

More people were filing in; she noticed one of them and recognised the man's face: this meant that the lot of those who had just walked in came from the Surveillance Department as well.

Lily smiled a bit and made a small sign to the pianist, deciding meanwhile that she was going to start off with something completely new for her. Stepping off the stage at the cue note, she directed herself towards a middle-aged Auror who had helped her much during her studies and practical exercises at Auror Academy. Roger greeted her with a small smile and a quick wink that gave her the confidence she most needed right now.

"Hello, hey Joe

I'm probably not the girl you want

But don't bring me down, I'm not over now

Been here before? Don't know no more

So come back 'morrow and we'll row and row."

Roger grinned when she undulated her hips at the last sentence. She had to smile despite herself. So far, so good.

Next, she located a small man with a golden tooth and a crooked arm in the throng of suspicious-looking people and gestured to a waitress dressed in ancient medieval fluid prostitute robes over. On Lily's way over to him, Roger dropped something in her palm.

The nameless waitress brought a glass of firewhisky over and began massaging the man's shoulders as he drank steadily, obviously enjoying the prostitute's attention.

"Hi there, sugar pie

You taste so sweet but she ain't so steep

You play her down and you may feel pawned

Been here before? Don't know much more

So come back next time and she'll steam you down."

Loud catcalls resounded in the dimly-lit room. The waitress had just resolutely straddled the man's hips and had begun rocking in time with the music.

A grey-cloaked wizard drinking a mug of beer caught Lily's attention. His bald head was bent down like was plotting something under the table. Lily dropped the small object Roger had given her on the man currently enjoying the waitress. It liquefied into his dark and dank robes.

She glided over to her next victim, the secretive man, and plucked another small drop-shaped Spytron, a device used exclusively in surveillance and that the team obviously wanted her to scatter on random victims. She grabbed a Bloody Mary on the way and dropped it on the table in front of the man, who had already drunk four already and was on the way to drunkenness.

"Good day, hey Ray

See you made friends, it's time you ended

But if you want more, don't stop me now

Been here before? Don't care much more

So catch you next time and maybe we'll dine."

A few costumers laughed at the man's incredulous face. The bold waitress had bent over and given him a right good view of her rather full cleavage.

Lily turned, for a breeze of cold air had just rushed in. On the threshold, a cloaked wizard stood. He looked up and she felt herself turn frigid. There wasn't the trace of a smile on his face. Lily felt the weighty stares of the costumers and the man who'd just entered the brothel. She unfroze, gathering her wits and courage about her, and began stepping up on the stage to grab one of the several brass poles. Slowly, her pitch grew steadily higher and she twirled feline-like while delivering the final verse.

"Ooh, I know the drill

Just give me some time and I'll make it worth your time

Don't know my name, lost it down the lane

Next time I'll... next time I'll... make it up to you!"

Lily was aware that he was watching her very intently; watching her every move keenly. Thankfully, the music finally ended and she practically ran backstage to her dressing room, cheeks much ablaze and tears threatening to spill over her blackened eyes.

Lily shared her dressing room with five other girls - witches. She didn't talk to anyone for the longest time. Not that she felt humiliated at all - this wasn't even her body to begin with. Her breasts were larger, her hair looked like fire and ice, her eyes were deep blue in contrast to her green ones. All this thanks to a fine new brass talisman that she wore as a ring. All right, so maybe she was a bit humiliated. After all, she was doing exactly everything that was against her strongest morals and judgement, exactly what James had asked her not to do. And now he had just seen her like this... belting out a tune that hid plenty overtones.

Lost in thought, she didn't hear the loud commotion outside her door; she only heard it after recognising the owner of the voice.

"But - look - let me pass. I want to see her... Let me - dammit, I have to see her."

The guard posted outside her door scoffed brutally. "That's what they all say. So either you shove away and wait after midnight, or I do something with my wand that will make neither of us very happy."

The man outside frantically cried, "You don't understand - she's - "

The door burst open before she was even aware she'd done it. "Franco, leave him alone. I'll talk to him. I have a break. Let me just go get dressed."

Franco started incredulously, "But what about - "

She looked away from the small crack of the door. "He's harmless." And she slammed the door shut to get changed.

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