Irene calls your bluff! Hannah and others will accompany the militia

"Well, I suppose there's nothing for it, then..." Irene said in a quiet, defeated voice, averting her gaze from you.

But just as you were about to smirkingly describe all of the degrading things she was going to have to perform at your behest in return for her friend's freedom from prostitution, Irene nodded and made a firm statement that caught you off guard: "I suppose that I shall just have to pray Hannah will be safe if she's to be made to give service as a war-mage. Surely things are mostly quiet in this part of Itheria at the moment, anyway."

Captain Aeson gave you a look, his eyes twinkling with amusement, as you wrinkled your nose. Hannah, for her part, looked a bit mortified herself. Marzena, however, was quite unfazed.

You took a step towards Irene. "You would really confront your poor, innocent friend with such potential horror?"

"If needs must," Irene said, her voice heavy with resignation. "I will fear for her, but there is some honor and dignity in giving service as part of a militia, at least. Right, Hannah?" The timid witch's eyes darted back and forth like a mouse caught in a cage-trap, but she didn't seem to have the wherewithal to go against her noble friend's words, so she just gulped and nodded.

"Ugh!" you rolled your eyes and spat your disdain. "You think providing pleasure and comfort is dirty and degraded, but marching out into the field to do **** upon, and risk **** from, bandits and monsters and worse is an honorable alternative? Such perverse logic that most noble houses of Itheria teach their sons and daughters..."

"Does that mean you intend to go back on your word, Countess?" Irene glared at you suspiciously.

Captain Aeson chimed in before you could reply; "As it happens, Zoe, it might be quite helpful to have such a lovely tool in our arsenal as Hannah and those like her..." You whirled upon the elf and made a face at him. "Hmph! Whose side are you on, you perfidious mercenary?! This is a meeting of the nobility, your counsel is not required!"

You turn back to Irene and give her a very **** smile. "Well then. If you're determined to go about it like this... Marzena! When you return to the Crooked Tower, go about collecting a half dozen more volunteers to accompany the militia patrol... to be led by me, their Countess, bearing the keys to undo their silver shackles if the need arises. ...With the understanding that those who volunteer for such a dangerous way to repay their debt to the County of Undrek might, might be exempted from their usual, ahem, duties to visitors of the tower..."

"Ha ha!" Marzena claps. "I'll be reserving one of those slots for myself, I'd enjoy a country outing after being cooped up behind city walls for so long! Not that I want to close the door on back-flopping work myself - but I have an itch to put my other talents into practice..." she gave a cutesy bow with a flourish and skipped out of the room, off to share the good news with her fellow maleficars, leading a still-conflicted Hannah along behind her.

"You, Irene," you pointed at her, putting your nose in the air so you could look down at her, "will of course be accompanying me for the next few days as my guest... so you can see if Hannah or any of the other girls are indeed pleased with my proposed alternate duties."

"Fine by me." Irene said bluntly, finally smiling at you and clearly enjoying the feeling of having outmaneuvered you.

"Brigid?" You say to your bookish dwarven advisor, who has been unobtrusively giving herself a sponge-bath (particularly in between the legs) in the corner. "Take Lady Hannah to one of my estate's guest rooms and make sure all the servants know that she is to want for nothing tonight... Make sure any escorts accompanying her are also prepared, as we'll be leaving at noontime tomorrow."

"Very well," Irene said. "Do not underestimate Hannah's resolve because of her shyness, Countess.... or mine, for that matter." Having thus gotten the last word, Irene retired to her accommodations.

"As I was saying," Aeson continued with nary a thought to your earlier rebuke, "this is at least as fine a use of those witchy women as having them earn you coin as bedwarmers. Having them come along to support my soldiers AND provide them some comfort in the evenings would be even better but I'm not greedy, hah! Even if it's just this once, if your goal is to intimidate the Count Mace and his company of sellswords, bringing along something that they'll fear is a good strategy..."

"Oh piss off, you smarmy knife-eared prick." you grumbled at him now that there were no more noble ears in the room. "The coin that those women are bringing in is the greater part of what pays your salary. And besides - this is going to give the most discontented among the witches a golden opportunity to attempt an escape."

"Perhaps you shouldn't have offered it then? Not that I'm not glad you did, of course." Aeson teased in a singsong tone of voice.

"Hmph!" you cross your arms and give him one of the same kind of haughty looks Irene was giving you. "You underestimate me. I'm going to turn this to my advantage one way or the other, but it might not be in a way that you appreciate. Muster the rest of your Brown Marmot mercenaries, Aeson - all of them, and make sure they bring their full battle kit. I think we shall no longer be trying quite so hard to avoid an incident."

"Really?" The elf looked genuinely surprised by that, and a little concerned, though he tried to hide it. "I thought you were quite confident that you could pacify this aggressive count with a private meeting and your feminine charms, Countess.?"

"The lace glove on one hand, the poisoned dagger in the other." you say confidently. "Now come with me to my wardrobe. I need your keen elven fashion sense to put together an outfit that's suitable for rugged travel but still eye-catching..."