Garden of Nightblooming Flowers

Technically named "The Garden of Night-blooming Flowers," Nightbloom Garden is a brothel located in New Orleans, in Little Venice West. An old manor house in a row of other old, massive rundown houses from the turn-of-the-century, Nightbloom was owned for years by the mambo Mama Rigeur, or "Mother Rude" as she was known in the shadows. A large black woman with a love of absinthe, garter belts and life in general, she ran her Garden for years.

Then, the Krewe of Cinnabar established itself in the area, and made some demands of Mama Rigeur. She complied with them – the demands they made began as just the sort of thing you expect from underworld figures. But eventually, their demands became onerous, eventually culminating in an attempt to simply absorb the entire brothel into their own operations, and claiming the most attractive of the whores for the Krewe-boss' own personal harem. Mama Rigeur refused, and the Krewe lashed out.

The conflict raged in the shadows for a year and a half. Ultimately, Mama Rigeur kept fighting when anyone else would have given up, because her pride was at stake. Unfortunately, the Krewe of Cinnabar fought dirty, and the conflict nearly ended when they dispatched a group of bully-boys to kill everyone in the Garden. Of course they did so when Mama Rigeur and her apprentice, Wema, were out of town. The two women returned to find the Garden an abbatoir, cordoned off by police.

Something snapped inside Mama Riguer then, and her vengeance was horrible. Some in the voudoun community claim that her grief drove her into the embrace of petro rites, and even her apprentice cannot say for sure if that is true. What is known is that a short while later, the Krewe of Cinnabar was scattered, its leadership slaughtered in a variety of unpleasant ways. Unfortunately, Mama Rigeur herself was a casualty of the conflict as well.

Location Stats

Area: The Garden is located in Little Venice, a run-down part of the New Orleans sprawl that borders the Garden District. The police make it out here only when explicitly called as a result of a 911 call. (Security D; 1 pt.)

Comforts: Mama Rigeur was always very clear that the only reason for any woman or man to be a whore was to achieve the comforts of life that only the rich usually got. To that end, she kept her girls and boys in style, believing (and perhaps rightly so) that the richer the surroundings were, the richer the clientele it was bound to attract. As such, the food consists of both real food and processed soy (though of a quality that it’s hard to tell the difference between it and the real thing). Water and power only go out during high-peak brownout seasons. There are also various technological utilities to make life easier: well-stocked fridge, cleaning drones, bathtubs, dishwasher and climate control. (Middle; 3 pts.)

Entertainment: In contrast, however, Mama Rigeur didn't hold with all kinds of gadgetry and distractions, believing that folk who spent all their time tied to trideos and the Matrix were wasting those valuable seconds of their lives when they could be actually enjoying life. Most of this money is actually spent on things Mama Rigeur considered important in the creation of cultured ladies of the evening — concerts, season theater passes and subscription to nature, history and society trideo channels. Tellingly, though, there is no holoplayer in the house, though it does have a wonderful stereo system built into the walls, with the capability of changing the playlist in each room by slaving the stereo in that room to one’s commlink. (Low; 2 pts.)

Furnishings: Mama Rigeur did her best to turn her surroundings into a lavish paradise that not only pleased, but practically overwhelmed the senses. Fine leather, polished brass, crushed velvet, the sound of tiny water fountains and the smell of pleasing, elegant incense and fresh-cut flowers were her absolute ideal, and she got it. The Nightbloom Garden is filled with absurdly valuable antiques. (Luxury; 5 pts.)

Security: Mama Rigeur did her best by the place, making sure that the local cops knew they could show up here for a good time, as well as making the necessary bribes to the local gangs. Unfortunately, when a new Krewe showed up, all she had to show for it was cops ignoring her calls, and slaughtered gang-bangers. Still, her locks were top-notch, and she made sure to keep a couple of bully-boys around to break skulls when necessary. (Rating 4 Maglocks and other security; Middle; 3 pts.)

Space: The Garden of Night-blooming Flowers is a huge building that used to be a luxury bed and breakfast that catered to the very rich. The economy in the Little Venice district bottomed out in the 2030s, however, when Hurricane Sarah destroyed levies and flooded the area, and this place shut down. The central house is two stories, and features an impressive welcoming area with a wet bar and lounge where she welcomed her guests. (Luxury; 5 pts.)

Lifestyle Qualities

• Total: +0.55

Positive Qualities

• Good Insulation + Watertight: Mama Rigeur made sure to use the best of materials in the reconstruction of the Garden, ensuring that its interior can survive through even hurricanes and miserable flooding conditions for quite a while. (+0.1)
• Manaline: One of the reasons Mama Rigeur chose this old house for her brothel was because of the manaline that ran right through it. Unfortunately, the landlord knows about it as well, and so charges accordingly. (+0.30)
• Privacy Screen (4): Mama Rigeur was quite demanding of privacy for both herself and her clientele, so she hired the best consultant to improve her Garden. This, of course, ensured that important figures that might otherwise be less likely to pay a visit to such a place are more likely to make the trip. (+0.40)

Negative Qualities

• Rough Neighborhood: Unfortunately, the Garden is built in the middle of a squatter zone, regardless of what kind of paradise it is inside. The late night hours can see gunfire, and squatters sometimes hang out around the entrance to the Garden, looking for food or some spare change. (–0.15)
• Middle of Nowhere: The Garden itself is at the top of a hill tucked well away from nearly everything, and certainly far from the major thoroughfares. Adding to this the fact that the routes to reach it tend to have to circumvent run-down parts of town with no street maintenance, it can be difficult to get anywhere quickly from here. (–0.05)
• Trigger-Happy Landlord: Maxwell Boudreau is the actual owner of the building and property here, and he is quite adamant that things run properly. Not precisely involved in the underworld on an organized level, Boudreau is still pretty tight with a variety of leg-breakers, gang-bangers, smugglers and thieves. As such, he is quite adamant about receiving his rent, and isn't willing to barter the brothel's services (as he puts it: "Because free poonanny ain't gonna pay my bills, is it?"). (–0.05)

Former Qualities

• Bribed Security: Mama Rigeur made sure to keep the local gangs very happy, usually in the form of heavy discounts (or even freebies, when winning their trust) at the Garden. (+0.15)
• Good Reputation: The Garden maintained a reputation as being not only elegant and clean, but also discrete and classy, which guarantees a healthy public opinion in the South. (+0.05)

Total Cost

¥9000 (+¥1,800/person)

Current Total: ¥25,200 (including Gene)

First Floor

• 1. Violet's Room: This room is decorated with lots of red, purple and black as far as bedding and curtains go. The room boasts a small desk/vanity with makeup neatly laid out in some form of indecipherable organization. To the left of the mirror are a few nails in the wall where her necklaces, bracelets and anklets are hung, and a small bowl on the left of the vanity holds a variety of rings. Likewise, a set of nails on the right support a variety of belts. An old bookshelf next to the door bears trinkety art pieces (some of which are really beautiful, several of which were clearly made with increadable heart but not much skill), a paper notebook of half written songs and poetry and a handful of other items. A chair in the corner is piled high with clothes and there is a bag in the corner, packed and ready to go. A few framed paintings hang on the walls, along with one candle sconce and one over head light.
• 2. X Room: X
• 3. X Room: X
• 4. Crystal's Room: X
• 5. X Room: X
• 6. Gene’s Room: X
• 7. X Room: X
• 8. Jasmine’s Room: The room is light and airy. It is not pastel, but rather there is white and other vivid colors as contrast. Her bed has a quilt done in white and rose. Her window coverings are filmy and she likes to leave the window open, that the wind might blow them about. She has an antique vanity across from the window, with an oval mirror and drawers that hold her toiletries (rose water, sleeping masks, 5 different kinds of brushes, 3 combs, various perfumes, and her jewelry). Here one can find the gifts her lovers have given her at various times - and that she liked enough to keep. Brooches and bracelets, carefully placed in a jewel box the size of a small closet. Everything in that box is neat and protected. The necklaces are never tangled, and each thing is as much displayed as put away. Her closet is an old fashioned wardrobe. Within, her clothing is hung with great care. Each outfit has a selection of gloves that go with it - at least one, often three, pairs ready to wear. Her shoes are on the door of the wardrobe - the one that is not a full length mirror. Interestingly, there are no heels and other ankle breaking shoes. Many are appropriate for dance, but all could be worn to run in. In the back, in garment bags, are her 3 finest sets. The observant might note that there are very few rings, compared to her other jewelry. She also clearly owns only practical shoes, and there are no photographs or holograms of anyone. Likewise, there are no books and little technology. If one were going through her jewelry, there is a small bag with children's jewelry. It contains a matching ring, necklace, and earrings. Also in that bag is a small poison locket of lapis lazuli, containing a baby tooth. There is also, in addition to the gloves laid out with her clothes, a drawer devoted to gloves of all kinds. Even her nightdresses have gloves.

The Garden

X

Second Floor

• 1. White Room: X
• 2. X Room: X
• 3. Locker Room: This room is decorated to look like a generic small locker room. The wall that normally has separates the attached bathroom has been removed, and the bathroom has been converted into a typical open shower area. About a dozen lockers line the walls, one of which has the items that can be found in any of the Gardens rooms, and the rest containing props appropriate for any number of scenarios. An equipment locker contains a variety of athletic equipment, including jump ropes(made of silk to prevent chafing), various balls, and cheerleader pom poms. In one corner is what appears to be an old rolled up athletic mat. In actuality, it contains sophisticated memory foam that is very deceptively comfortable when rolled out. The room has over 100 sets of AR furniture that can be used to decorate the room with the logos of National Sports teams, Colleges and Generic symbols. The AR system can simulate the sounds of most major sporting events as well as a variety of generic athletic noises. Finally, they system is capable of creating a very limited number of AR “actors” that can respond to a very limited number of programmed responses, that do not extend beyond the senses of sight and hearing.
• 4. Pagoda Room: One room of the night bloom garden has been set up as a japenesse tea pagoda With tatomi floor and bammbo and paper walls. the window has an AR overly that shows looking out onto a spring Japanesse garden year round. This room is mostly used by Crystal in her Geisha persona, and by Belladonna in her persona as Sakura (a young geisha or school girl).
• 5. Coed’s Room: This room is designed to look like a typical College or High School students bedroom. Most of the room is decorated in gender neutral colors with a few easily moved decorations that have a strong gender identity. The bed that is against one wall, is designed to look like a typical college narrow college bed, however the appearance is somewhat deceptive. It is proportioned and makes use of several tricks of perspective, so that it is actually wide enough to accommodate two fairly active people. This room also has a couple of bean bags and cheap yet very comfortable(and sturdy chairs). The bedroom closet is actually deeper than it looks and is designed to rotate, so that it can show either men’s or women’s clothing. Not incidentally when it is rotated there is just enough space for someone to hide on the other side of the closet. Unlike most of the other rooms this room makes very little use of AR, instead using a few limited props. For some reason, this room is one of the most popular ones at the Garden, particularly the Naughty Babysitter and the Virgin College Student scenarios.
• 6. X Room: X
• 7. Elegant Bedroom: The centerpiece of this room is an antique canopied bed. The fixed decorations of this room are all antique in nature, rather expensive and chosen to not provide a solid fix on the time period. The room is primarily lit by a combination of candles, oil lamps and recessed lights that are invisible when not turned on. The bedside table contains all of the standard cosmetics and prophylactics in addition to a set of silk ropes, a silk blindfold and other light bondage gear. A cedar chest at the foot of the bed contains a more extensive set of props. The room AR has been programmed with a variety of backgrounds for the room, ranging from the stone walls of a medieval castle to the refined elegance of the White House bedroom. The rooms sound system has been programmed with a wide variety of sound effects to support any number of scenarios; ranging from the simple bustle of a castle, to the sounds of a wild west brothel, to the clamor of the sack of a fortress.
• 8. X Room: X
• 9. X Room: X

Basement

• 1. Pierre's Room: X
• 2. Bristow’s Room: Against one wall of Bristows room is a large peg board holding all of his guns and other weapons. Beneath it is a metal military ammo crate that holds his extra supplies. His Bed has a sturdy metal frame and a thin mattres of a stule normally associated with a Military barracks. Urban Brawl posters hang on the rest of the walls, including one that was signed by two members of the NOLA Tombstones. Anyone who enters his room should be cautious of the underware and clothing that are liberally strewn about.
• 3. Weights and Workshop Room: In addition to his room, Bristow has taken over this room where he has set up a weight bench and a work table loaded with Armorers tools. In one corner is a calendar made of photovoltaic paper that shows an ever changing panopoly of near naked women holding very big guns.
• 4. X Room: X
• 5. The Beauty Room: X
• 6. Merryweather’s Room: X
• 7. Fauna’s Room: X
• 8. Flora’s Room: X

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