"Ah, Tasha! Come on in, we were just getting to the interesting part."

She squeezes in to the side with Tabs. "I see Aya's here as well, and these two?"

"Alts of each other. The pink-haired one, Tabs, is our client for the moment, though Aurica might want us all to take her back to her room in a little while."

"I'm sorry, but I don't have time for recreational work right now, you know how it is."

"I do. But I thought you could offer a few words to Tabs."

"Yes, well, that's why I'm here."

"So, um, what is it you do here, Tasha?"

"I'm a sexual surrogate; I help people with sexual issues and hangups learn in a safe, professional environment. I basically simulate good sexual relationships for people who've got trauma or other problems. And yes, that means I have sex with them - I'm the participatory half of the team along with the sexual therapist."

"So you have sex in order to sort out people's problems? I didn't think that worked outside of porn."

"It's a real therapeutic model that's been adopted in a number of places! In more conservative worlds it's legally grey, but even there they recognize that some problems are intimate and require hands-on work. It's obviously not a cure-all but it does help."

"There are places that make the prostitutes healing fonts or whatever," opines Aya. "Don't see the point when you can just use a wand of Cure Light Wounds. Less complicated."

"And that encourages holy virgin myths which are terrible. Having sex with a virgin cures dragonpox. Losing your virginity hurts for women. You'll bleed on your first time if you're a woman. Blah blah blah. Heard too much of the same crap at my job, honestly." 

"And of course there's the various forms of stigma -"

"Right. Transphobia, homophobia, speciesism, racism, sexism - it's a wonder anyone bones anyone!"

"Straight people have it the worst."

"I know you joke, but seriously, being expected to treat your partner as an alien from another planet is hard on people."

"Not to mention all the forms of gender essentialism they never think to question."

"Yes, well. We're getting off topic."

"How's your job, Tasha?"

"Difficult but fulfilling, I'd say. It gets wearing, having to fix the same issues again and again, but... It's what I signed up for."

"What with being a priestess and all?"

"Yeah, exactly."

"Do you ever wish you'd done something different?"

"Rarely. It's not a perfect fit, for all the Doors of Night get hyped. But it's good. It's correct. And it makes sense for who I am right now. When I get bored I'll go through the Doors of Night again and get a new assignment."

"Do you all still need me? I have a client in fifteen and I'd like to prep."