<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/rAxxh91.png)</div><br/><hr/><br/><div align="center"><strong>Date / Time:</strong> Monday 26th, Early Afternoon</div><br/><hr/><br/><strong>Name:</strong>Lady Anna (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=334101.msg15907314#msg15907314)<br/><strong>Wearing:</strong>Black Casual Dress, fuzzy slippers. (https://img.ltwebstatic.com/images3_pi/2021/01/27/16117260753c525258ef3df104b18d521265546842_thumbnail_600x.webp)<br/><strong>Location:</strong>The Night Daze<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Dimitrius<br/><strong>Mentions:</strong>{NPCs}<br/><strong>Warnings:</strong>None<br/><br/><hr/><br/><br/>As always, Anna took her time to enjoy Dimitrius' wit and his clever tongue. Despite the power dynamics he so often had to stress himself over, she found herself constantly in a place to indulge the man, and to be indulged. So rarely did his flexes have anything to do with attempting to put her in her place, or emphasise the position he held over her. True enough he preferred the silken glove to its iron counterpart, but she still couldn't recall a time his words weren't either flattering or – at worst – neutral. Perhaps it was ignorant or fascicle to assume his affections were anything unique to her, or even intentional. Perhaps he was simply kind because she was useful, but did it matter? He was a pleasant partner to work with, in more ways than one. That was enough, sometimes.<br/><br/>“My door is open if you ever find yourself feeling particularly lonely, Dimitrius. Admittedly, you'd have to be wrestled out of Dyneias' grasp...” She chuckled briefly, hiding her mouth behind her wrist as she did. It was mostly an instinct of hers; a coquettish bit of subterfuge that hid her smile and her laughter behind flesh – As a dancer used silks to hide that selfsame flesh. It was a way to draw a lover in. Enticing them to try and get you alone, and undress that smile in the same way they undress everything else. “I agree that I deserve the best though. I invite you to spoil me frequently, and often.”<br/><br/>Pouring him tea was, in a way, nostalgic. It reminded her of the days when she was a popular attraction, and not the hand that guided them. Once upon a time, people had flocked to see her. She had sung in a much smaller version of the Night Daze, named something far less flattering and far less grand. It had been a way to make ends meet, and to fill a void. She had learned how to entertain nobles and merchants alike. The spout was crooned over her wrist, which held the beautiful china steady as her other hand precisely lifted and poured the water over a strainer of pleasant tea leaves. Dimitrius might abstain from milk and honey for his subjects, but the tea itself was pricey and imported. The Night Daze had the ability to be decadent when it wanted. More so than even the Middle District could be. One could easily lose their entire month's wage in a night, wrapped up in the finery of the place, or in the bosom of its staff. “I'd probably not mind...Once. Beyond that I'd insist you pay for my time like anyone else, and we both know you wouldn't want me pouring tea if you had me all alone on your dime.” Despite the insistence on business first, Anna was still Anna. To say she was a sexual being was an understatement, and flirting with her favoured folk was as natural as breathing.<br/><br/>She took a small piece of crumbly pastry onto her plate – an invitation for Dimitrius to do so without feeling rude – and listened to his counter to the news she gave. “I can certainly muster forth some honey for our trap,” She said, having a few girls in mind. The Sweet Kiss was technically owned by another – At least publicly. She'd long since confided in Dimitrius her owning stake in it, and about four other bars, shops, and salons in Delinquent Town; if only to respect his position, but also to earn his favour for them. Shops favoured by the Mayor so often did better, after all. Far less chance of the rough-and-tumble folk of the Town to cause trouble if they feared angering the Man who held the most cards. “As for entertainment, Neia, Duchess, and Fiona are currently working on something wonderful for their central role in the entertainment. Just mentioning Duchess' involvement might help attract at least a few of her Midtown and Castle-Town admirers.” Truthfully, Duchess would have made a fortune for herself if she wasn't married to Duke, or was at least willing to pretend otherwise. Anffwad had been forced to turn away sizeable donations from minor nobles who wanted to 'meet' their idolised performer.<br/><br/>...Little did they know that she did it for their sake. She'd seen what Duke could do when he was angry, and nothing riled him up more than the threat of someone touching his wife.<br/><br/>"Lalo did volunteer, but I turned her down..." Dimitrius was, by now, privy to Lalo's identity. Anffwad had confided in him about the Nobledaughter because she feared the reprecucions that might befall the town if someone figured it out. Thankfully Dimitrius agreed that as long as they were careful, Lalo could benefit from it, and they could benefit from having an ally in a few years, when the Togekiss was married and a scion of a noble house. "...For her safety mostly. It's much harder to control every element in public, compared to the Night Daze." She paused to take a drink, letting him digest what she'd said so far before she went in for the next punch. Anffwad was a relentless speaker, and and Dimitrius would know that better than anyone. She knew how to talk, and to get what she wanted.<br/><br/>“I had an interesting thought, if you'll indulge me. Say, If we wanted, we could potentially use this to clip the wings of certain salubrious businesses as well. A bribe to have the Checkpoint go up the morning before could be an excellent way to starve out some of the more...unsavoury establishments on the outskirts of our domain. If their goods are held up during the festival, and they just<em>happen</em>to lose customers to the establishments who can provide? Surely, redistributing the wealth of our Town to those who are aiming to improve it is just as noble and important a pursuit as taking the coin in the first place, no?” Anna had been using a knife and fork to cut up the flaky pastry – a chocolate stuffed bread that she brought to her lips and sighed wistfully over. It always delighted her to indulge in the finer things, and in truth she'd dropped a slightly more cutting idea at Dimitrius' lap. It would probably feel like a cat had dropped a dead mouse at his feet, but she was hardly wrong. Dimitrius and Anna made their best attempts to improve the lives of the people who lived in Delinquent Town. Not everyone was so altruistic. There were certainly the lowlifes and leeches in their midst who would abuse their workers, and indulge in unhealthy activities so as to scalp as many people as they could. All Anffwad was suggesting was some light pruning, really. Of course, the fact that Anna and Dimitrius would be able to select who those people were...potentially benefitting off of the information...<br/><br/>“Just a suggestion, of course. I won't be spreading this particular nugget of information past the two of us.” She sipped her coffee, a shiver of enjoyment running from the base of her spine up to the top of her brain as the caffeine did its job. No doubt her motion wasn't at least somewhat enjoyable to watch, her body swaying and shifting – and her bust bouncing in her dress. She played these games with everyone, but Dimitrius at least was keen enough to know she played them. “Should I send an invite down to anyone in particular? I have a few ideas who might be worth enticing, but this is your song and dance more than it is mine.”<br/>