<div class="floatright"><strong>Tafiya</strong><br/>(https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1SJCA48_ZnE8A590i9pyaQTxnMGBM7ets)</div>She waved a hand dismissively in the air.<br/><strong>"I am not speaking of murderers and thieves. That is not my place to determine their punishments, unless their punishments goes too far. Paying back makes sense, but forcing one to work does not. Nor does it allow one to enslave another over debt. Surely you realize taking the person into slavery -and I do not care if you don't see the other term as different, forcing people to work is slavery, period - that you still do or let happen the very ills you do not want to befall family or relatives, that they too become prey to loansharks and criminals and vultures who prey on the weak. You could easily pay a man's debts, especially with your so called trade revenue, or offer them gainful employment. No, you do this because you can't afford to upset the dwarves. Not the trade route, that can't move, but you're afraid they'll sense weakness and with a great excuse they'll invade and take your throne from you. For all your 'power', you don't want to go against the dwarves in war. That is wise. But I could burn that dwarf in the public square or embrace him as friend, it wouldn't change their decision to invade or not. Nor does it explain the justice system that favors the rich and powerful."</strong><br/><br/>She jumped downed, spreading her wings to slow her fall, until she stood a few yards away from the towering king before her, at least a head taller. She looked up in his eyes, she was still afraid, but she faced him on the ground nonetheless.<br/><br/><strong>"So then they just use the law to force people to work for them against their will, and call it something other than slavery. They offer a false hope without explaining to them the likelihood and chances of their enslavement. True they cannot know fate ahead of time, but they can pretty much guess many people will fail their debts and will end up in their chains, metal or legal it doesn't matter to a dwarf they think it's the same thing, with the former enforcing the latter if need be. And you put up with them."</strong><br/><br/>She frowned and the room got a few degrees colder, slightly uncomfortable now, and Ras could see the water condense into ice on the columns around the.<br/><br/><strong>"And all of this for... for spider silk! Because your nobles and the other nobles out there can't stand the fact that they'd have to wear something lesser than the best. All of this silk is bought with slavery, either mining for gold to the silk, or in the yuan-ti spice plantations, or the serfs that toil on the land."</strong><br/><br/>And as if realizing something when she grabbed her silk dress to demonstrate to Ras about spider silk, a dark look came across her face as she realized what she had been wearing. Before he could say anything, she disrobed right there in front of him, slipping out of it with a few graceful but hurried and angry motions, leaving herself completely nude before him. Her skin was silvery, her nipples erect and dark gray in the cold air, as was her face that flushed a darker gray when flustered or angry as she was now. She took her fine silk robe, into both hands and crumpled it into a rough ball and then threw it at the black king.<br/><br/>She looked visibly upset, now her eyes were blazing gold. Her long silver hair hung a bit in front of her but barely concealed anything of her beauty and allure, and Ras wasn't wearing much himself at the moment. As he remembered, she hadn't the body of an amazon warrior but that of a lithe dancer of a Shelynite, thin and dexterous, her heaving breasts as she breathed hard and more quickly as she was angry and upset not so much at him as the injustices in the world, though he was her target right now. Were he a full-blown slaver she probably wouldn't just be talking loudly at him but would have attacked him. That would normally be a bad idea, with all the wards and magic of the place protecting him, but even if she could bypass those like normal, he still had Lea'shee's magic protecting him, and that of court wizards, and possibly the Gods, though in his experience the last one wasn't something to rely on until everything else had been exhausted.<br/><br/>Still he couldn't helped but be pleased that Tafiya was unwittingly passing the physical inspection test, and at least she had a very good opportunity to surprise or even kill him but didn't take it. And usually women who threw their clothes at him were the ones that wanted to bed him, so despite her mixed signals he took that as a good sign that. It wouldn't be the first woman who yelled at him only to end up in his bed, pleasured beyond belief, wanting more, and coming to love him. Her criticism of him seemed to imply that she wanted him to be better rather than a direct condemnation. And strong-willed women were the best. His Queens and lovers all had that in common.<br/><br/>At least so far she kept looking him in the eyes and didn't seem to notice his erection.  Her reaction to finding out might be priceless.<br/><br/>SFW and NSFW pictures:<br/>https://drive.google.com/open?id=1tqMy_9vnrvrAS-fmYHaXXs_agVrAYIUP<br/>https://drive.google.com/open?id=1K4aqIrcsRyXAd8BMVFDdLF_OlyR-oyfA