"Good boy." Vizelle cooed, as he suckles on her stiff nipples. "Tell me. What would you like Mommy to do for you? Fufu. Or, what would you like to do to me?" She teased, as her gloved hand slows down.
"Oh, I certainly believe you could give it a good shot, my dear." The duke chuckles. "We nobles are the wheels that keep this Empire running, you understand. If we're overburdened by pointless taxes, well, it's not good for governance. I simply want the share we pay to be adequately small, to reflect the important role we play." "Of course, if my own achievements were to be seen as significant enough to be worth a uniquely low sum, I'd be very grateful to the one who placed such faith in me." He continues to smile, barely bothering to hide his implications of bribery.
Dubernay responds simply with a nod, and lets Elena leave the brothel without further incident. Heading to the palace, and into the set of chambers and meeting rooms assigned to the council, Elena is informed by a burly guard in golden armour that the Emperor is in confession, and that she'll have to wait.
"I want to eat you out." He takes a break from her breasts to look up at her, moving from his position on her lap.
"Oh my, a gentleman are we?" Vizelle giggled, "Very well, I'll allow it." She cooed, spreading her stocking-clad legs open as she leans back to enjoy herself.
And thus she enjoys her drinking, not really needing anything for the moment but a chance to unwind. Staying so stiff and formal is EXHAUSTING, especially given how high stakes this is all starting to sound. She slips behind a changing curtain to get out of her fancy dress and into a purple, silk nightgown she brought (though she does wear a sports bra and some pajama bottoms so she she doesn't give the guardsman TOO much of a show) and plops back onto the bed to keep drinking and wait.
“As a fellow noble I certainly see your point, Duke Chernobog,” Eanne smiled, indicating that she had understood the offer, “however, I like to think long-term. Low taxes on the nobility will benefit us in the short term, but in the long term they might cause us trouble that would cost us a lot. I mean, common people will surely notice the low taxes for the nobility and see it as favoritism, which will likely lead to dissatisfaction. And that can have various unwanted consequences: People simply not working as hard because they feel their labor is not valued, people leaving the Empire in a misguided belief that they will be treated better elsewhere, or even outright rebellion, if things get bad enough. And while I have no doubt that we could handle any rebellion, doing so will be costly in both man power and resources, and will weaken the Empire – which will also have a negative effect on the nobility.” Eanne gave the Duke a few moments to consider her words before continuing. “Of course, high taxes on the nobility will also have a negative effect – the Emperor will have to put high taxes on everyone else as well, or it will seem like he is trying to exploit the nobility and that will cause dissent among the nobles. And high taxes on everyone is a good way for the Emperor to lose the support of his people.” She pointed out. “Yet the Empire needs money, plain and simple, so in the short term low taxes on everyone is simply not an option. Therefor I'd say that taxes that are not so low are the best option. If the nobility accepts them, the Emperor can use that as leverage to get everyone else to accept them as well – after all, if we can agree to the taxes, so can everyone else, no reason for special privilege for the merchants or the Church. Even the common people will have no objections, as long as it seems like everyone is getting taxed fairly.” She paused to catch her breath. “In the short term we improve our reputation and avoid unwanted complications, and in the long term we will get back more than we pay in taxes, in the form of various benefits. I know short-term benefits can be very tempting, but I am sure a man as successful as you is familiar with the... benefits of long-term planning... She finished with a smile and waited to see the Duke's reaction. (Sorry for the way, power went out for a few minutes, and then I had to rewrite the last part because it had not been autosaved. So it might seem a bit different from the rest.)
Xavier listened to Ulie, slightly smiling as she told her story, 'Don't worry, it's a sweet story, I liked getting to know a bit more about you. I can't say I've ever seen those comics. Sure sounds like something the PR department for the Navy would make.' He chuckled, 'It's not all that glorious here either most of the time, though... I suppose we did save you when you were in distress and killed a few evil aliens.' 'Careful with the rum, you don't want to get drunk before we even got to the food, right?' Xavier said, as she poured herself.
While waiting for the Emperor, Elena decided to look over the previous missions, that were not taken yet. Except for that, she decided to look through the state of the Empire...
Verner leans down and begins to kiss his way up her thighs, before his lips meet her pussy, tongue pressing forth to lick her clit through the lace. "Delicious, mistress..." He begins to taste her juices, which are starting to seep through the fabric.
The guard turns away, making sure not to get a glimpse of anything, even with the curtain present. He moves to a small corner of the room, allowing Hersillia, if not privacy, then at least some space to breathe. The next few hours are boring, as she's left to stew, but finally a knock sounds from the door, and the voice of the guard posted there comes after. "My lady, they're ready, apparently."
"Mmmh." Vizelle lets out a throaty moan as Verner licks her, "Good boy." She cooed, using her gloved hand to caress his hair. With his skilled tongue, the sorceress quickly starts to get aroused. "Good, just like that. Fufu. You'll make Mommy cum soon if you keep that up." She moaned, using her psionics to stroke his cock.
Spoiler: Persuasion Roll d100: 90+15 (Silver Spoon)=105 (Crit) Eanne isn't sure exactly what causes it. Maybe the Duke is off his game today, or he's feeling uncharacteristically patriotic, or he has a secret plan, or he's secretly attracted to her, or perhaps Eanne's rhetoric is simply that good. Either way, Eanne is surprised at how willing Chernobog is to agree with her. "I find it hard to disagree with you, my lady." He smiles. "You're right, I'm thinking of how to win a battle, while I should be thinking about how to win the war. That's how I got where I am, after all." "I should be able to convince the nobles following me to accept your logic. If I can't, then maybe I'll have to rely on your silver tongue." He chuckles. Surprisingly, he doesn't try to haggle at all.
Ulie nods. "Yeah, I kinda figured that I'd be the one saving people... They're silly comics, but they're fun, you know? I've read some 'high literature', and it's all depressing. If I wanted to be depressed, I'd go back to my slum." She reaches for the bottle, before shrinking back. "Oh, sorry, sir. You probably think I'm a lush, don't you?" Her face is a little red from the alcohol, so it's hard to tell, but Xavier thinks that she's blushing again.
'I used to read comics and play holo games, haven't had much time for them lately,' Xavier nodded. Xavier chuckled, 'Ulie, you have to relax. Not everyone immediately thinks the worst for a little gesture like that. You're nervous and uncertain, so you drink a bit more than normal. It's nothing to worry about.' 'I'm sorry, maybe this whole dinner thing is a bit out of your comfort zone,' Xavier smiled and stood up, 'Would you like to... relax on the couch and watch a holovid? I could get us some snacks, make this much less formal.'
Even Eanne was surprised bu how well the negotiation had turned out – it was nice surprise. “I'm happy to hear that. It's always a pleasure dealing with a smart person who can see the big picture. I am sure the nobles supporting you can be convinced to see reason, too.” She smiled at the Duke, genuinely happy at how well things had turned out.
It's too early for any changes in the Empire's status to be noticeable, but looking over the list of important matters and crises, she sees a few differences from earlier. Missions (Pick one): - The Invasion of Ietra: The Eternal Empire to the galactic north of the Terrans is a truly massive, Kafkaesque blob of systems. It's imperial family is no different, with thousands of squabbling minor princes, all with titles but few with actual power. One of these princes has seemingly had enough of being a nobody, and has launched a campaign to conquer the 6 inhabited planets of the Ietra system, part of the Terran Empire, for himself, seeing Carius as too weak to defend his territory. The Terran armies and fleets in the region fight against the invaders, but are being battered and request additional help - The Gates of the Warp: Seeing the previous emperor's death as an opportunity, a demon worshiping cult has opened a gate to the warp on an important agri world, threatening to overwhelm the region in a demon invasion. The Inquisition requests aid in closing the gates. - Corruption on Constantinopolis: The recent murder of a government figure in the capital has exposed the existence of a government corruption ring. One or more high powered officials have been embezzling large sums of money, and they're clearly willing to kill to evade justice. These criminals must be exposed and brought to justice. - White Noise: Explorers from the Research Institute recently reported the discovery of a previously undiscovered planet. The planet is an enigma, scan after scan revealing that it has well maintained infrastructure and manufacturing centers, enough to support a population of billions. The scans, however, show no sign of a single living person on the planet. Soon after sending their report, the explorers went missing without a trace. This has alarmed many, but the planet is simply too valuable to just ignore. The Research Institute has asked for aid in sending a larger expedition to the planet. - Death and Taxes: The Empire's financial system is currently a mess. It's not the most exciting job, but helping the emperor set the new tax rate could be very useful to the Empire. - The Mutiny of Haephestus: One of the largest and most productive planets in the Terran Empire, Haephestus has declared itself to be an autonomous and independent republic. No violence has occurred as of yet, but each passing moment brings the rebels and the Empire closer towards a clash. The rebellion must be persuaded to lay down their arms, or crushed, before their treacherous beliefs can spread to other systems. - Heresy on Lave V: On a well populated world, not far from Terra, the population have cut all ties with the Holy Mother Church, and declared their leader, a mage and former priestess of the church, to be the avatar of the love godess. The new government has pledged its allegiance to the Terran Empire, and claims to want to simply go about its new religion in peace, though they've already sent missionaries to other systems to try and convert them. The church, has requested aid in either convincing the heretics to abandon their false beliefs, or purging them. -The Automatons: In the fringes of galactic space, an army has begun to attack human space, an army made up not of humans, or even of aliens, but of a group of ancient and powerful AI. The military and the Research Institute could use assistance in dealing with this threat. - Stay Quiet for now: It might be beneficial to not take any mission for now, and merely focus on familiarising yourself with the Imperial Court, it's people and its pleasures She notes that the Death and Taxes, Mutiny on Haephestus and Heresy on Lave V missions already have a person assigned to them, though she could potentially join in late. She notices that in the time she was gone, another mission has been added: - Crew Expendable: In space above the capital, the Byzantion Space Defence Station, and the fleet of newly arrived council member Xavier Von Azurrose, have had problems with an infestation of spider-like aliens that mysteriously seem to have been smuggled in food containers. The aliens themselves must be promptly exterminated, and more importantly it must be investigated how exactly the creatures got on board.
Pulling aside her panties, he lets out a moan at her stroking. "I-I'll do the best I can, mommy." He changes the title he addresses her with, as his tongue reaches out to caress her clit.
Ulie nods and smirks. "I seem like a complete dumbass, second guessing myself, don't I?" She chuckles. "That sounds great, sir."
"Indeed." He returns the smile. "I'm glad you were able to convince me. So, you'll be staying? My dear daughters should be returning any moment."
