Chéri was ready to apologise and withdraw respectfully, but Sonia decided to share more with him, to go more personal, into something that did not necessarily concern the destiny of the brothel. Chéri looked at her belly and noted “But when the child is born, one thing you will know: you are a mother. If you don’t feel it now, you will know it eventually.” He said with a certain confidence, somehow feeling like he had a good understanding of how this went.

She looked away and seemed optimistic regarding his feature. Chéri smile in that incredibly warm way and repeated. “Perhaps.” He left his luggage there and followed with long strides.

It was at that point that she closed off for the time being. Her eyes were tired and she was too. She led him about the edifice then, showing him the various rooms downstairs, everything from a library to a billiard. She led him to the bar and said, "This is where you get your spirits, wine, and beer. You can also order food, of course." And then she led him to the most lavish room of all. It was richly furnished and there was a painting of her in a state of undress. "And this was my room. It's the biggest and the best. This will be your reward if you serve me well."

She turned to him and half closed her eyes as she peered at him, "And I think you shall do well here. You seem enthusiastic, that is good."

Chéri could see the strain the conversation had taken on her. The woman was pregnant, a widow and a survivor of a terrible tragedy, no wonder she was tired. Chéri followed her around, nodding to everything that was shown to him. He asked a few specific questions about the location of this or that item or how to best handle specific, mundane situations. He found himself interested in the painting, before nodding to it. “So you will give me the best room if I do a good job?” He bent his head on the side “And where will you go?”

Chéri nodded “I have always done well so far. And I think it won’t be any different here. But you will tell me.” That was all he was going to share about himself for now. He finished following Sonia in their guided tour, then asked to be excused and proceeded to unpack: he needed rest, food and a bath, to wash away bad thoughts, if nothing else.

She said, "I do not know yet." And that was it. She nodded to him when he spoke of his doing well and possibly getting the best room. "Yes." She was looking for someone special to take place she had previously held. One day she planned on selling the place and she wanted to leave it in the best hands possible, for the men and women who worked there depended upon that.

When he asked to excuse himself, she nodded and they went their separate ways.