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| "And what of the children? Surely that's an issue?"

"The majority of our customers are Nords. That's not a problem with them. There's a few Khajiit males that come in too though. There are methods and potions for that though. In fact, we have our own Herb magician on staff for such needs. She's really quite skilled in the craft."

"Abortion then? Is it mandatory?" Kitty asked, sincerely curious.

"Abortion? Heavens no! The girls simply take a potion that keeps them from ovulating. It would take a pretty determined Khajiit to get pregnant here. Anyone THAT determined to have a child would surely not want to abort it after it's conceived! We've not yet had any situation where that's been a concern. Which is good too, as our Herb witch is quite opposed to anything that would oppose Nature. But enough about us, what can I do for you?" | |

| Udaran drew a deep breath before explaining, "It's about a dear friend of mine Ashasha. She was murdered some time ago, through no fault of her own."

"Skyrim," the Madam sighed. "This land is in desperate need of Law."

Udaran nodded and continued, "Well, her name was Sabhira. She worked at the Tails and we became very close. She confided in me before her death that she had once been mated to a Khajiit named Hasskir and they had a child together. A daughter. I don't know her name. Sabhira never said. But Hasskir fell in with a group of bandits. Sabhira tried to get him to leave them, but his heart was stone. When the group began to abuse her, she began to plan an escape. But things went wrong somehow and Sabhira was not able to take her daughter. Hasskir threatened to kill her if Sabhira tried to take her. So she didn't."

"I see. But what has this to do with us here?" | |

| "When Sabhira died, I came into possession of a large amount of money. I would like to give it to her daughter - if I can find her. Some days ago, we found Hasskir. Things turned violent though, and before we could find out more... Hasskir was dead."

The old Khajiit nodded in understanding at the unstated cause of death.

"But during that battle, the leader of the bandits said something. He implied that Hasskir had sold the child to a whorehouse. A whorehouse in Markarth." | |

| Ashasha looked thoughtful, and remained silent for a long time.

Finally she looked at Udaran directly. "Udaran, what you are doing is a noble quest. And one I would support if I possibly could. But... we don't buy children. That would be monstrous. All my girls are their own women, and come and go as they like. I bought this business from the old Madam about 10 years ago, and even then it was respectable - given our trade. I don't think she would have done so either. Frankly, there's simply no one here that matches that history. I'm sorry, but the story you were told couldn't possibly be true. Or at least, not concerning THIS... whorehouse." | |

| The dejection in Udaran's face was clear. "But... Well, do you know of any others around Markarth? Or any others that may have existed back then? That offered Khajiits I mean?"

"No Udaran. I don't know what could have become of your friend's daughter, but she doesn't work here."

"Could I.... maybe talk to the girls? Maybe one of them has an idea or a clue?"

"Look Udaran, I'm a businesswoman. Maybe not as bad as a caravaneer, but if I had any hope of you finding your friend's daughter here, I'd try and find a way to profit from it. But when I see no hope, I don't want to mislead you into thinking there is some here. You may speak to whom you will, but your girl is not here."

Udaran swallowed hard, perhaps suppressing a tear. "You've been kind to us, and honest - LADY Ashasha. It is appreciated. I suppose we all knew there was little hope. But, since I have nowhere else to go, if you don't mind I'd like to talk to the girls."

"Certainly. You may stay the night in my room here if you like. But you should probably stay out of sight during business hours. The top floor is forbidden to customers. You will want to stay here unless you're curious. But for now, why don't you relax in the bath. It's just down the hall and to the left." | |

| "This hot bath is going to feel SO good!" Muz-Ra said as she stepped into one of the three tubs in the bathing area.

Ubergard had already made the surprising decision to climb out of her armor and relax for a bit herself, keeping her armor and blade nearby of course. With Udaran in the third tub, Kitty was left to explore the area while waiting for one to be vacated, though she did take the opportunity of privacy to shed her overweight clothes. Udaran looked likely not to be in for a long soak. She was obviously not in a leisurely-bath state of mind.

"Dammit," she muttered, "I really thought we would find her." | |

| "It was at best unlikely Udie," Muz-Ra consoled her.

"You know, they've got some REALLY interesting clothes here. Red, you were thinking of changing your outfit right? You should check some of these out!"

"Kitty, we're not exactly here for clothes shopping," Muz-Ra replied. "Did you notice Udie was feeling bad?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry Udie. You DO know she was lying right?" | |

| "WHAT?" Udaran asked, incredulous, "What on EARTH makes you say that Kitty? Lady Ashasha is right, why would she not tell us if there was profit in it for her ANYWAY?"

"I don't know, but I know she's lying," Kitty responded with a matter-of-fact tone in her voice that would admit of no mistake.

"How do you know? Just tell me how. I know people pretty well Kitty, and I didn't detect a hint of a lie there," Udaran said.

"When you said Sabhira's name, there was recognition there. She knew her NAME, Udaran. If everything happened as we think it did, she STILL wouldn't know SABHIRA's name. Hasskir wouldn't have mentioned it."

"Maybe she knew Sabhira from the Tails?" Muz-Ra offered.

"I didn't notice anything," Udaran said. "I think I would have caught it."

"All I know is that she's lying. Beyond that, I've no idea."

"Well, I think we've got a long afternoon in front of us before the Cathouse is open for business again. Let's get talking to these girls. Part of me hopes you're right Kitty, but I don't know if I believe it."

"Believe it Udie. She's lying." | |