He could recognize the place, without even a sign. He had seen them plenty in other towns. When they went to pubs, other crew would go to such a place afterwards and he always went back to the ship. Today though would be the day, he was going to buy a girl so that the others wouldn't tease him so. Benny reached down and felt the small amount of money in his pocket, but he was sure it would be enough. It wasn't like he was going to sleep with her, he didn't want to be laughed at for something he couldn't help. It was hard enough on himself. 

He cleared his throat and looked around, he didn't want a girl standing on the street. He needed a girl he could point to, to 'prove' he was just as manly as they were. Nervously the young man knocked on the door to such a house of leisure and looked around hoping he wouldn't get bothered by anyone.

Sometimes, when she was feeling too roughed up for another damned round, Fanny womanned the door. The vast majority of takers responded to her picture, carefully posed on a bed to try and subtract some of her natural height. She had one of her light blouses on, rolled up to the sleeve above thick forearms. The corset made her waist as tight as any, but it just seemed to draw the attention to muscular, uncovered shoulders.

She was slouching against the counter when he entered. Languidly, she curled upward and upward to her full height like a boa constrictor uncoiling itself.

“May I help you, sir?”

Her voice sounded far too tiny for the body it inhabited.

Benny looked towards the woman when she opened the door. She was tall and strong, not at all what he expected but it didn't bother him at all. "Yes.. sorry to.. bother you, miss. Was hoping, maybe.. um.. I have something.. different to ask for? May we talk inside? I'll keep my hands up if it makes you feel safer." He held up his hands to show them empty and gave a nervous smile.

[CW: references to some out-there fetishes]

She crinkled her nose and leered at him, crossing her arms under her chest.

“You’re making me blush!”

She hadn’t blushed since 1890.

Something different. Something weird up the peehole? Milking fetish? She’d be impressed if it was actually something different. She waved him in, headed down a hall and turned the handles of a couple locked doors before finding an open one.

The upholstered furniture was nice, at least.

Benny followed her, feeling relieved she let him in. He eyed the fancied up place and looked into the room. This was it.

He cleared his throat. "I.. don't have a lot of money, but.. I " he blushed embarrassed. "I just want to talk, or even sit..in silence. Just in case any of my buddies ask... a girl who can lie and say I was here and was a great lover. Even..a half decent one will do."

She looked him up and down with a shrewd eye. Not a bad-looking man. He could certainly get a roll in the bed with some ease as long as he watched the breath.

He wouldn’t be the first sailor she’d met who had trouble raising the mast.

“How much you got?”

Benny looked at her uncertain before digging into his pockets. It was about half what a guy paid for a normal 'encounter'. "I hope it's enough. Like I said. I won't touch. I won't even talk if you don't want me to. It's .. completely frustrating enough as it is."

A working girl’s day was never truly over. She counted each coin with her eyes, frowned, double-checked, triple-checked. Her gaze lifted to his eyes again, then back to his hand with pursed lips. Birds of a feather flocked together, so it wasn’t like a good reputation with him would bring in moneyed friends.

Mast problems. She crossed her arms, squinted at his hand as though to make more coin materialize, then made a disappointed sound in the back of her throat.

“I need this room,” she said, holding out her hand, “but I can tell your buddies you were an impressive race horse for a beautiful woman. Happens all the time, dear.”

Benny shook his head and sighed. "A hard bargain, but fair enough. I'll give you more before I leave town if I find out you really did tell them." He smiled weakly and put the money in her hands. The entire thing felt cold and awkward but this was a foolish idea to begin with. He avoided her eyes as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned to leave. "Thank you for your time."

It wasn’t the worst deal, as long as Choppy Waters here kept his mouth shut about how much he paid. She didn’t have to clean up and hey, the fellow was even kind of cute.

She hadn’t noticed that kind of thing in some time.

Fanny waved her dismissal with her fingers, and kept her back to the window. She thought she’d be one of those fancy ladies with their own place by now, but here she was.

Though she did not volunteer the story, per se – if sailors asked after their compatriots, she wove a tale of a viking-tall and milk-pale fellow who melted like ice in bed.