Startup 80: Aligned Incentives

Rova 29 evening

“Don’t just stand there with your mouth hanging open, Emrys. Normally I need to use magic if I want that kind of reaction.”

I haven’t been standing here all that long! Ok, now that I think about it, maybe going into navel gazing mode has become a default. I blame combat based time stops.

Despite her words, Dindreanne didn’t seem displeased to have me staring at her for a few seconds. It made sense; she’d paid quite a lot to keep herself ogle worthy. She almost certainly liked the attention.

I stepped in, smiling at her, and leaned into that.

“What can I say?” I asked, “I appreciate beauty, and you have quite a bit of that.”

My eyes darted around her room, specifically her bedroom, and noted that there was shockingly little seating. What little there was would require me to retrieve it from the back corner of the room. She scooted to the side, making room for me to sit next to her on the small couch. I sat; anything else would have looked like I was actively avoiding her.

“Why thank you, Captain,” she said, smile radiant, “You’re quite handsome yourself.”

“While I would be happy to stare at you for a bit longer,” I said, “I feel like it would be wise to ask to what I owe this invitation. Our last personal exchange did not exactly end on a positive note.”

Dindreanne waved her hand dismissively, then laid it delicately upon my thigh.

“It’s in the past.” She said, “There’s no need to dwell on such things. Better to move forward. I believe we could be much more productive working together than at odds, Captain M’Dair.”

“I’ve always been of that opinion.” I said evenly.

Effectiveness was never the issue. Alignment was. You want what you want, I want what I want.

“I was, perhaps, too forward.” She said, speaking quietly into my ear, “I didn’t even ask what you wanted. I just assumed. So, Captain, what do you want? I understand you were considering a stronger alliance with Tessa’s fleet?”

Not Lady Fairwind. Tessa. Familiar name drop.

With most women, I’d have dipped by this point. She was legitimately attractive, but she was also assembled almost entirely out of red flags. Oh yeah, and she was my friend’s mom, no matter what her appearance said.

The problem was that this was probably my only chance to establish anything remotely positive with her. Almost as importantly, Filli had agreed to undergo preliminary trials while we were still stuck in port. If Dindreanne got angry at me, I didn’t want her taking it out on Filli.

I kinda needed to at least play along, so I had Autopilot cast Detect Sexuality. I barely glanced at the readout, just long enough to get the impression this was a legitimate seduction attempt, but I thought that information would be useful soon.

Confidence? Tenderness? Intensity? Surprisingly vanilla, really. Almost sweet.

“Three things, Dindreanne.” I said, deliberately using her first name, “I need to pay off my debt, I need to maintain my freedom, and I need to do right by my crew.”

I looped an arm around her, and suddenly our torsos were pressed gently together.

“Everything else is negotiable.” I said, gazing into her icy blue eyes. “Everything. So, what do you want?”

Escalating the intimacy had been a calculated risk. Our last meeting had been all professionalism and authority, and it was entirely possible she wanted to set the pace here even if the agenda was a lot hornier. However, if this was going to be a serious negotiation, I needed to establish myself as her equal.

Either it worked, or I was falling into her trap somehow. Possibly both. Her smile widened, and damn if her teeth weren’t whiter than most I’d seen in my old life. Her own hand snaked down my back, nails pricking through my shirt. She turned her body more fully towards me so that her other hand could take its place on my thigh.

“From you?” She asked, “Not much. I want my son back. He ran away and I only know he’s alive because he occasionally sends formal reports. If you could help me with that, I would be very grateful.”

Her fingers crept up my thigh as her blue eyes met my red orbs.

“I could make arrangements.” I said, “Not the ones you suggested before. Those wouldn’t work anyway. Remember what I said? It’s not your choice or mine where he goes. We can only offer him options he would like, and ones he wouldn’t. You and I can do as we like, but so will he.”

I rested my hands on her hips. She didn’t particularly like that line of logic, her smile faltering into a near equally pretty little frown, but my delivery was more to her liking. Less “I won’t” and more “I realistically can’t.” I wasn’t even lying, exactly. Cog was stubborn, a trait I was pretty sure he got from his mother.

“There are things I can do, however.” I continued, leaning in close enough our noses nearly touched and speaking quietly enough that she could probably barely hear me, “I’m sure you’d enjoy many of my ideas, Dindreanne. If you’re willing to trust me to do what you really want as I see fit, all I ask if that you help me with the things I really want as you see fit.”

“Your words paint a lovely picture.” Dindreanne said, “I’ve heard offers like that before, however.”

“Then give me the opportunity to impress you.” I said, and kissed her.

Her reaction was strong, immediate, and thankfully positive. Not only did she kiss me back, she shifted her hips and lifted herself to straddle me. Dindreanne pressed forward, pushing me against the back of the sofa. She grabbed me by my hair and practically **** our mouths together. Then just as suddenly, she backed off and lifted herself onto her knees.

“You’ll need to try very hard to manage that, handsome.” She said, looking me in the eyes, “For example, you haven’t even started taking off your pants yet.”

Autopilot! Make it so! Just the setup, though.

I couldn’t rely on Autopilot for something this sensitive. Not only was there the looming potential for a natural one, the rules I’d tracked down for sexual encounters in my reference document made my prospects bleak if I relied on the dice. Experienced lovers, as defined as people with existing ranks in Perform: Sexual Act, imposed a penalty on any attempt to satisfy or impress them sexually equal to their number of ranks in the skill. Even if he was objectively better at pleasing a woman than me, Autopilot wouldn’t stand a chance.

I shifted my hips and pulled down the offending garment, freeing my erection. I reached up under her robe and, as I’d suspected, she was completely bare beneath the single thin layer of silk. I trailed my fingers between her legs, where I could feel her dampness.

I worked the skin just above the slit, gentle but insistent. She’d be a strange woman indeed if she was ready for me to go right in just from negotiations. There was a little bit of work left to do.

“Handled.” I said, “Nothing left in the way.”

I leaned in and kissed her again. I couldn’t do it quite as forcefully as she could, with one hand stimulating her and the other untying the knot in her sash, but I think I did alright. She certainly didn’t complain. I tried one of my go to tricks, kissing my way down her jaw to her throat, and continued to do so even when she bit my ear.

Thanks for the save.

Dindreanne wasn’t a large woman, but I didn’t trust my current body to lift her. If I’d been a bit stronger, I’d have picked her right up and carried her a few feet to her bed. I experimented with having Autopilot cast levitate on her, but she didn’t seem to trust me enough to accept an unknown spell. Instead, I focused on meeting her right where she was.

I continued to march my lips down her chest to her breasts, which were round and firm and certainly felt natural to me. Her nipples were small, pink, and sensitive if her faint exhalation was anything to go by. It wasn’t much, but she’d been silent up to this point. I took it as a good sign and swirled my tongue around one nipple, then the other.

I flicked my thumb across her lower lips several times, testing to see if she was wet enough. I couldn’t escape the feeling I was being tested, and given her current and prior profession I was fairly sure the bar to knock her socks off was quite high.

Her hands lay gently on my shoulders, holding the position over me. Dindreanne was luxuriating quietly in my attention, and to be perfectly frank I was feeling slightly neglected. I lined up my member once I was certain she was ready, and calmly, firmly took hold of her hips and pulled her down onto me.

She adapted immediately and started riding me slowly, as if this had been her plan from the start. From her faint smile, perhaps it had been. In my experience, this was a good compromise position for a girl who knew what she liked. If she was on top and I was inside of her, she was in a good place to set her own pace. She had enough freedom of movement to focus on what felt good for her while I thrust upwards, and I was still a reasonably active participant.

I kept my ears open, and any time she vocalized, even a little bit, I had Autopilot psychoanalyze why. He couldn’t do the pleasing, but he could tell me if that faint whimper was because I was going in at just the right angle, moving slightly too slowly, or needed to adjust my fingers. Then I could continue to improvise based on that.

I didn’t need any interpretation when she finally groaned out her pleasure. She bucked her hips and pulled me tight against her well padded chest, shuddering as she came.

“Mmm,” she said, relaxing against me, “You’re not too bad. I’ve certainly had worse.”

“I’ve had practice.” I said, “I’m sure you have fairly high standards.”

“Perhaps not as high as yours.” She said, “I notice you haven’t finished yet.”

She shifted her hips as she spoke, squeezing my cock inside of her. It felt nice, but I wasn’t exactly ready to burst. She wasn’t that hot and I’d been more focused on her pleasure than my own.

“What can I say?” I said, “A gentleman always lets a lady go first.”

She gave a low chuckle at that, probably thinking of how few of her lovers have qualified by that specific metric.

“A gentleman, are you?” She asked teasingly, then pulled herself off of my cock and stood. “Then by all means, such manners should be rewarded.”

She prowled around the sofa and towards her bed. I followed, taking her up on her implied invitation to her bed. I wanted neither blue balls nor to risk offending her. If she wanted to feel pretty, then by all the gods I’d make sure she felt pretty.

As Dindreanne spoke, she grew half a foot and her skin darkened to ebony. Her hair curled and she turned to look at me with Aashaq’s molten orange eyes. Even her voice sounded right when she spoke, down to the clipped accent.

“I understand you had a run in with The Annihilator recently. In my experience, most who do take a very dim view of her in private.” She said, “I won’t accept **** on her behalf, but I’d be happy to let you be on top while you finish. I can do others, if you’d prefer.”

I watched her aura flare orange repeatedly as she took half a dozen forms in quick succession, all while walking smoothly and climbing onto sheets made of amber silk. After Aashaq came Tessa, a smattering of random women I assumed to be Shackles celebrities including Svartur Black’s wife and a few of the merchant princesses I’d slept with in Port Peril, Dovnu, and finally a tall woman with black hair I recognized as the manifestation of Besmara Sandara sometimes summoned to intimidate people. Each and every one of them looked quite good in their birthday suits.

Is this a test? Eh, fuck it. I’ll assume it is. I just said I’m a gentleman, might as well commit. There’s something a bit skeevy about sleeping with someone disguised as someone else. Hot, but I’m not going to go for it when there’s a real chance it’s some kind of hidden test of virtue. Another day, maybe.

“Impressive.” I said with complete honesty, approaching and joining her on the bed, “I’m sure that went over extremely well with your clients. It’s really not necessary, though.”

Despite my words, I did cop a feel. The body was as physically real as anything I could summon. Transitory, but completely genuine in the moment. Besides, Besmara had larger breasts for her build than any woman I’d ever slept with. Right on the edge of being so big they stopped being hot to me. It was a genuinely tempting prospect even without the implied goddess roleplay.

“Oh?” She said, “Did you want more people involved?”

She snapped a finger, and my eyes tracked a thread of orange flow along a fine filament of magic. By the time my gaze reached her, Enkrateia had become a slender blonde elf with black eyes. She looked at Dindreanne with a single raised eyebrow, but gracefully slipped down off the dresser she’d been sitting.

I actually laughed at that.

“No, it’s fine Enkrateia.” I said, “You’d be welcome if I thought you were actually interested, but as a matter of policy I try not to sleep with people who are ****.”

I turned to Dindreanne, focused, and dispelled her shapeshift, my magic barely powerful enough to puncture the shroud of summoned flesh enveloping her. She looked at me with genuine surprise for a split second, short enough that I might have imagined it. She was sitting on the bed, and not hard to push down onto her back.

“I have three girlfriends on my ship.” I said, “Group sex isn’t as special a concept as it once was. I’ve got multiple species of shapeshifting outsiders I could summon if I really wanted to sleep with a counterfeit pirate lord. The one special, unique opportunity I have tonight is to sleep with High Priestess Dindreanne. I don’t need you to upsell your services.”

I kissed her, and let Autopilot handle logistics while I pushed hilt deep into her. As she’d suggested, I plowed a powerful woman from the upper crust of the Shackles. She lay back and let me do it, mirroring my pleasure when she was on top: Not necessarily expecting to cum, but enjoying the sensations nonetheless.

I heard a chuckle from behind me, and got the impression Enkrateia approved. For all I knew, the wasp had been telling Dindreanne she needed to get laid all week long. I finished inside of her, trusting in my own contraception cantrip.

I’m willing to fuck Cog’s mother, but under no circumstances will I be impregnating her.

••••••••••

We kept going for a while, but Dindreanne was a busy woman. She ran a brothel after all; skipping the whole night wasn’t in the cards. We were only able to lay down next to one another in her bed for a few minutes before she stood and started cleaning herself up.

She was quick and efficient, and transformed Enkrateia again just to help her get dressed.

“We will need to meet again.” she said, “I think you have potential but I’d like a bit more clear a view of what you can do for me than a simple promise of good faith.”

It doesn't help that my plan is exactly the same as last time, just slightly reframed.

“I’ll do what I can to make sure Cog keeps in touch.” I said, “He needs his own life, but I’m pretty sure I can convince him to be a bit more personal when he writes home. Don’t be offended if he’s more chatty with Linu initially. He also might just refuse, but I’ll lean on him a bit.”

I could see the sour face in her mirror, and felt pretty sure that this had been the right time. She was in a good enough mood to accept that offer as realistic, instead of taking it as a rejection.

“It will work as a start.” She said, “I’ll want more than a short note every month, you know.”

“I’ll do what I can.” I reaffirmed, “Since we are getting specific, what are your plans to reciprocate?”

“I’ll ask Tessa if she’s interested in employing you in some other context and purchasing your ship.” Dindreanne said. “I make no promises given the politics; it would help if you did something very visible to strike at Raffles’s enemies. Have you considered taking a slaver?”

She was brushing her hair, carefully arranging it into those clean black and gold stripes and tying it back. I belatedly realized I should probably get dressed as well, and stood to do so.

Yeah, maybe if I’m getting down to the wire and I need a Hail Mary play.

“I don’t know the area.” I said, “I’d be relying on luck to find a good target, and I imagine they are upping security given the blockade. If I find myself in a position to gamble, I’ll gamble. There is something a bit more personal I’d appreciate help with, though. My friend, Filli. I understand she’s going through some kind of preliminary selection trials tomorrow?”

“I won’t be altering any results on the rat’s testing.” Dindreanne said icily. “Our standards for ladies of the night are high. For agents? Much higher.”

The rat? Wow. Harsh. Filli is the best rat. Then again, for someone this obsessed with beauty… got it.

“No, no. I wouldn’t dream of it.” I said holding up my hand, “I was just thinking that if she does manage to get in, she might be a bit disruptive. She’s my friend, but no one on my ship can forget what she looks like.”

“I don’t intend to use my own energy to keep her transformed throughout training.” Dindreanne said, softening, but only slightly. “I’m sure some properly tailored armor will make her look reasonably presentable.”

“She wants to learn how to disguise herself, and she’s coming with me after the trial is resolved. She’s too useful for me to do without her, and Linu mentioned something about new trainees normally starting formal training in Abadius.” I said. “If you could arrange for her to get some preliminary training materials for magical disguise or transformation like you can do…”

I left it hanging deliberately, letting her connect the dots. Filli was genuinely brilliant. She was functionally fluent in surface common after a few weeks of immersion. There was a real chance she’d be able to learn relatively basic magic in the few months between now and the new year, even without being a follower. If I did add her to my party as a follower or even a full party member, her chances got even better.

“Then I wouldn’t have a giant intimidating mutant nestled in among a team of mostly teenage girls?” Dindreanne asked, “I suppose, though I can tell you that maintaining a form like I do is extremely distracting at first. Were you able to smooth things over with that Vendenopterix? She likely went through training similar enough in life to get the girl started.”

The girl, not the rat? Already progress.

Dindreanne let Enkrateia finish lacing up her corset and pulled on a black and yellow jacket in a vaguely masculine cut. It looked a bit odd over the flared skirts that seemed popular among civilian women in the Shackles. I belatedly realized it might be this world and era’s equivalent to a skirt suit.

“I’ll have a few primers prepared.” She said, “If she proves competent in any relevant disciplines, then your messenger can pick up the rest from Linu when you send Cog’s letters.”

“That would be lovely.” I said, and I meant it.

If anyone else on the ship should happen to scan through those primers, that’s just fine as well.

“There are a few more things I’d like to talk with you about, but I understand if you don’t have time.” I said, “You are a mother, but there’s more to you than that. I think I could assist you in ways other than with Cog.”

“The golems and such?” Dindreanne asked, “I’ll consider it. I’m not sure what use I’d have for those rusty beasts.”

“They are quite dangerous,” Enkrateia said casually, in a breathy voice fit for ASMR, “That captain girl was **** to run instead of fighting one. Buying a few cheaply for resale is hardly a bad investment.”

I looked at her with surprise, but she didn’t meet my eyes. In fact, in a pulse of amber light she returned to her natural insect form and waited next to the door, and all the while she didn’t even look at me.

Did I impress her or does she seriously just think it’s a good business opportunity?

“I’d welcome any purchases to that effect,” I said, “but you’ll need to talk to Linu about it. I already sold her the right to choose how those are sold in this city. I was actually offering access to outsiders. I’m willing to rent out my magic, if you can pay for it. There’s quite an opportunity cost; my magic is precious.”

Of course the giant vat of demon corpses is mostly full so I actually need to figure out productive uses of my magic that won’t jam up that bottleneck more. But you don’t know that.

“I’ll think about it.” She said, “Give me a list and I’ll have some of the more advanced initiates read through it to see if they have any ideas. I’ll call it a training exercise.”

Then she was gone. Enkrateia remained, watching me closely as I finished getting dressed. It was a bit awkward, but damn. It had been a productive meeting.

Alright. So how the fuck do I sell this to Cog?

Of course, I was distracted by something. A popup on my character sheet glowed gold in my peripheral vision, which was new. It had usually been red in the past. I mentally clicked it, and stopped dead in the middle of the hallway.

Well. That was easier than I expected.

You have accepted one of the core tenets of the Greater Elven Goddess Callistria’s faith by understanding and engaging with it in another.

Core Principle

My life is my path, and none will sway me from it. If others resent my actions, they may attempt to take vengeance against me. I accept this as their due, but will not allow it to deter me.

You have performed one of Callistria’s core rituals of obedience

Engage in sexual activity with another individual in exchange for money, information, or another valuable resource. This must be a willing act on both your parts; you should not endanger yourself or otherwise enter a situation that makes you uncomfortable.

Bonus: You have performed the obedience under the direct supervision of an approving divine servitor of Callistria.

Rewards:

Level 1 Spell known: Incessant Buzzing- create a swarm of illusory wasps which make focus on complex spells or tasks functionally impossible. Even simpler spells will require a difficult concentration check to cast.

Level 3 Spell Known: Pillow Talk- As the spell Speak With Dead, but for sleeping targets. Causes a single sleeping individual to talk in their sleep, answering up to one question per two caster levels. They will not remember answering the questions, though with a successful will save they will have vivid dreams about the experience.

That’s just something I already believed. So I don’t need to buy into the vengeance part of the equation at all? I guess Jyotah was onto something after all. They won’t all be this easy, I imagine.

It was definitely a pick me up, and if I’d known what I’d get it would have justified the entire encounter. I wasn’t entirely sure if that would hold any water with Cog, unfortunately.