Kaz herself is having some trouble getting her emotions under control, judging by the way her gloved hands are clenching, not entirely hidden from view by her body.

She wouldn't know. She isn't looking at Kaz, either. 

Probably that's for the best.

After a long, long moment - "Trying to out-compete Tante Heleen would be - hard for me."

"We could just kill her."

"I want her to suffer."

Then, lightly, viciously: "We could torture her to death, but then she'd stop hurting."

"We could find a Corporalki. Then you could torture her halfway to death multiple times."

Giggle! "An interesting proposal."

"We have options."

Kaz turns back around.

She does, too.

"Good."

"I - don't think I'd like being the madame of a pleasure house, even if I was stealing her empire out from under her in the process."

"I suppose this is a bad time to say that was one of the directions I was planning on expanding the Dregs' activities in."

She goes only a little quiet, but - more pensive than anything. 

"What are you planning to - do with it?"

"Attack places like that by taking their workforce."

"How?"

"Either by buying them out, like you, though hopefully earlier in their career, or by getting to them before people like Heleen can."

She glances away a little bit. 

"Would - their terms be like mine've been?"

"For the ones with indentures already. For the others... I think there are better ways to attract and keep employees."

"I like my terms."

"But - could they go work somewhere other than the - pleasure house? So long as they're still paying off their indenture."

"I don't see why not. That's an advantage of the diversified business structure I'm building."

Smile. "It is."

"Though you'll need someone to play the madame - or master, I guess - of the house if you're going for a classy place. Someone guests can feel really special for buying the time of."

"I suppose that will have to be me, then."

Wow that is a very interesting thought.

But. Kaz doesn't look very happy about it. 

"You could - subcontract it, probably?"

"There aren't a lot of people I'd trust with it."

She doesn't have any right to tell Kaz that Inej doesn't want her to have to do things Kaz doesn't want to. But she wants to say that. 

"It's - tough to do right I think, if you don't like it," she says instead. "Clients notice. And they don't care if some whore isn't into it - or the madame can just match up girls to the client's preferences there - but - that's a really different dynamic, if you're in charge."

"I suppose I'll have to practice, then."