09-26-2020, 08:12 PM
Anna was calm, professional, and well spoken. Carmen remembered being young and fresh and eager to impress -- a lifetime ago, to be sure, yet she still doubted her facade had been half as polished as this girl’s when she’d been the same age. None of that counted against her. In fact all the boxes ticked neatly. Of course, Kallisti generally erred towards the errant, the second-chancers, the ones who had nowhere else to turn, and Anna did not appear to be that. But for all her prickly nature, in reality Carmen rarely turned anyone away. Some lost souls were obvious, others less so. Everyone was given a chance. They all had to earn their place the same, from the ground up.
At the mention of reputation, Carmen’s lips flickered a wry smile. She nodded. “Burlesque is an attitude,” she said. The dancing was important, of course, but the story told more so. Juilliard would matter little here, though it wasn’t a hindrance either. If Anna had been working strip joints, it was unlikely she carried the airs and graces anyway. “Kallisti is family. Treat us well, and expect the same in kind. If you’ve done your homework like you say, you’ll know the rules we operate by here. You’ll be expected to sign an NDA to protect the clients -- you’ll hear things, believe me. Anyone gives you trouble, you let me know. There’s nothing quite like a no-touch rule to tease temptation. What you do in your own time is up to you, of course, but don’t mix it with work.”
She let that sink in. None of it should be surprising. After a moment, she asked bluntly, “Can you channel?”
Nothing suggested it. Mostly those here who had the capability had come because of Oriena. Carmen might have simply asked Juliana, for they seemed able to recognise each other’s talents, but she wanted to see Anna’s reaction more than she wanted the actual answer. It didn’t matter whether she could or not.
At the mention of reputation, Carmen’s lips flickered a wry smile. She nodded. “Burlesque is an attitude,” she said. The dancing was important, of course, but the story told more so. Juilliard would matter little here, though it wasn’t a hindrance either. If Anna had been working strip joints, it was unlikely she carried the airs and graces anyway. “Kallisti is family. Treat us well, and expect the same in kind. If you’ve done your homework like you say, you’ll know the rules we operate by here. You’ll be expected to sign an NDA to protect the clients -- you’ll hear things, believe me. Anyone gives you trouble, you let me know. There’s nothing quite like a no-touch rule to tease temptation. What you do in your own time is up to you, of course, but don’t mix it with work.”
She let that sink in. None of it should be surprising. After a moment, she asked bluntly, “Can you channel?”
Nothing suggested it. Mostly those here who had the capability had come because of Oriena. Carmen might have simply asked Juliana, for they seemed able to recognise each other’s talents, but she wanted to see Anna’s reaction more than she wanted the actual answer. It didn’t matter whether she could or not.