( first shift ani ever took came with a working rule, a silent code of stripper conduct cooked up by the girls themselves: nobody respects a fucking door vulture. (and respect goes a long way in the biz; no need to give them another reason to conflate taking off your top with dumping your hard-kept dignity at the fucking door, too.)
naturally, ani always assumed it was meant to preserve the fragile nature of the male ego, as if that's ever been at jeopardy of becoming an endangered species. (she's no data analyst, but the correlation between a dude's pride, the generosity of his pockets, and a night's payout? the undeniable power of statistics leaves no room for argument.) now, she thinks they must've sensed it — the too-desperate reek of girls who hadn't hidden their hunger. girls who had circled too eagerly. girls who had been too keen to pick the meat of their bank account and the bones of their self-control clean. doing what's necessary to survive, when you're ranked bottom-tier on the ecosystem and have to scavenge for your next meal ticket.
there's an important life lesson ani took away from watching it, like it was all just national geographic in action, informative and educational: show how badly you want something, and you're guaranteeing it'll be snatched away. even ani's silence seems to buy into the idea — hesitates, like an immediate yes will jinx something as good as roza believing ani is someone you welcome into your family, your traditions. a full half-hour later: )
tight salespitch, zaza gotta say the bribery was a nice touch
counteroffer i'll come if you can find my favorite flower & bring it to me (this is extortion) (no hints allowed)
I speak the language of offerings! You're the only person who calls me Zaza, you know, I like it
[ She's responsive to Ro, was once Rozzy (less of a fan, at least in her teen years), but the value she assigns to names cannot be understated. Each derivative is prismatic identity viewed as a different angle, and although she doesn't know yet what version of her may coalesce in Ani's eyes —
She wants to find out. There are places where the way they see the world coincides, Roza thinks; both born from the same post-Soviet hangover, raised in the wake of a world that no longer exists. But her powers of discernment have another target first, and it's gardening. She's grinning behind her screen. ]
No hints![ says the psychic, ]OK, deal. And I'm so confident in my abilities that I might even bring you two. But if I do, will you do some of the dances with me?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
naturally, ani always assumed it was meant to preserve the fragile nature of the male ego, as if that's ever been at jeopardy of becoming an endangered species. (she's no data analyst, but the correlation between a dude's pride, the generosity of his pockets, and a night's payout? the undeniable power of statistics leaves no room for argument.) now, she thinks they must've sensed it — the too-desperate reek of girls who hadn't hidden their hunger. girls who had circled too eagerly. girls who had been too keen to pick the meat of their bank account and the bones of their self-control clean. doing what's necessary to survive, when you're ranked bottom-tier on the ecosystem and have to scavenge for your next meal ticket.
there's an important life lesson ani took away from watching it, like it was all just national geographic in action, informative and educational: show how badly you want something, and you're guaranteeing it'll be snatched away. even ani's silence seems to buy into the idea — hesitates, like an immediate yes will jinx something as good as roza believing ani is someone you welcome into your family, your traditions. a full half-hour later: )
tight salespitch, zaza
gotta say the bribery was a nice touch
counteroffer
i'll come if you can find my favorite flower & bring it to me
(this is extortion) (no hints allowed)
no subject
You're the only person who calls me Zaza, you know, I like it
[ She's responsive to Ro, was once Rozzy (less of a fan, at least in her teen years), but the value she assigns to names cannot be understated. Each derivative is prismatic identity viewed as a different angle, and although she doesn't know yet what version of her may coalesce in Ani's eyes —
She wants to find out. There are places where the way they see the world coincides, Roza thinks; both born from the same post-Soviet hangover, raised in the wake of a world that no longer exists. But her powers of discernment have another target first, and it's gardening. She's grinning behind her screen. ]
No hints! [ says the psychic, ] OK, deal.
And I'm so confident in my abilities that I might even bring you two. But if I do, will you do some of the dances with me?
So I don't look silly by myself