Delightful Deals

Vel found himself once again in his aunt’s quarters. She had suggested moving here as soon as her composure returned, which hadn’t taken very long. Her reasoning, however, had in a way conceded to Vel. She’d said that if they were to negotiate, there could be absolutely no risk of being overheard. It made sense, and so Vel had agreed, letting her lead the way.

They were seated on opposite sides of her desk, and so far, neither had broken the silence. Vel was not entirely sure how to play it from here. Should he wait for her to break the silence, or would that be too passive? For the first time that day, Vel cautiously reached out for his aunt’s mind.

Her emotions were surprisingly calm; he had expected far more turmoil. And in a way they were in turmoil yet contained. Like a storm **** into a glass bottle. It was simply Fionne’s willpower and incredibly self-control, keeping them in check. Once again, Vel felt his respect for his aunt rise.

“Do you want to fuck me, Nephew? Do you wish to stick it in your aunt, Velas?"

Her emotions barely stirred as she said it, while Vel felt a jolt of genuine shock. Of all the ways he’d imagined her breaking the silence, this had not been one of them. He was not about to lose his composure again though.

“Yes, I do.”

He registered no surprise from her at his admission. She had fully expected that, which in turn did not surprise him. She’d been trying to seduce him, after all.

“That is by no means the only thing I want from you though.”

Again, no surprise. Her interest seemed to be piqued though. An observation based more on her facial expression than her emotions, in which something so subtle currently wouldn’t be easy to read. There was also some trepidation though, evident in both her face and mind.

“I have one very important question I need you to answer before I can move on to this negotiation of yours, Velas.”

It was Vel’s turn to feel interest and trepidation. He gestured for Fionne to go on, and a look of supreme concentration came over her.

“Since we set sail, I have found myself having thoughts I am convinced I normally would not have, and impulses I can’t explain.”

Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly as they locked onto his.

“And here you are, displaying all these fantastical powers. Did you tamper with my mind, Nephew?”

If Vel had been impressed by his aunt earlier, it was nothing compared to this. For the first time, someone he had covertly worked on had simply deduced that it was happening. No alarm had been tripped. This terrifyingly sharp woman had identified her own thoughts as being out of place, examined them and the circumstances, and drawn a correct conclusion. What an asset she could be for him!

How to respond to this though? Should he further work on her right now in attempt to erase this revelation from her mind? That did not sit right with him, nor was he even sure how exactly to go about it. Besides, this was what made Fionne so extraordinary, tampering with it seemed counterproductive. And he had meant it when he offered to negotiate. Honesty, then. Again.

“Yes, I have. But only in some very minor ways.”

This time there was some surprise and shock. More negative emotions too of course. But for some reason, she seemed a tad excited or thrilled. Because she had figured it out? Vel wasn’t sure. She got it all under control again swiftly though, her eyes never leaving his as she spoke up again.

"I know I can't stop you, and it pains me that I can't... So, all I can do is ask. Please, do not manipulate my mind any further. Let me remain my own woman, at least in my mind.”

Again, her emotions slid out of her control a little. She did not like having to ask like this, being so at his mercy made her feel humiliated. But ask she did, and Vel approved of it. It took courage, in a way. And she had clearly already realized that what defenses she possessed would not hold against him. Which he counted as another point in her favor.

Vel considered the request itself. He didn't particularly mind the idea, as long as his aunt could be brought to heel it didn’t matter how. But there were some obvious potential snags.

"There are some things you might have trouble accepting, things you might even prefer I help you deal with."

Fionne snorted in a mixture of amusement and derision.

“I am seriously considering fucking my own nephew as part of some kind of deal.”

Well, that was good news. Vel felt himself harden slightly. Fionne rolled her shoulders as she went on.

“I am pragmatic, Velas. I can deal with just about anything, including you turning out to be a horny mindmage. Especially if it serves my own ends or at least doesn't get in the way of them."

This was good, the negotiations had begun in full, and Vel did not mind being first to make a concession.

“Very well. I give you my word that I will not use any of my powers on you during this negotiation.”

Having said that, Vel pulled back from his aunt’s mind entirely. She had not asked for that of course, but the promise he had just made to her demanded it. And in truth, he kind of wanted to do this without his powers. Both to show that he could, and because the idea of bringing her into the fold voluntarily appealed to him. It seemed ever so fitting.

“And what about afterwards?”

He had expected that question, there was no way his aunt would miss something that obvious. Vel smiled at her.

“That depends entirely on how the negotiations go, of course.”

Fionne sighed, but to Vel’s eyes she looked resigned as she nodded.

“I suppose that is more than I can expect.”

She paused for a moment, her eyes finally leaving his for a moment as she briefly squirmed.

“Thank you, Velas.”

Her eyes flicked back up, once again boring into his.

“So, you want me to spread my legs for you?”

And immediately back to it, Vel chuckled.

“I certainly do, Aunty. But as mentioned, it is not the only thing I want from you.”

He forestalled her question by holding up a finger.

“But, before I get into that, I think it only fair you finally tell me something about what you want.”

She didn’t look thrilled by the idea at first but conceded with a small nod.

“I want to remain in control of my command, to make sure that this stays my mission, and that everyone knows it. And for you to stay out of my head for good.”

She added the second part so casually, almost as an afterthought. But it was obviously the bigger ask of the two. Vel nodded though.

“Very well. I will make sure everyone on these vessels has no doubt that you are in command, and I will stay out of your mind entirely until we catch our quarry and get safely back to port. In return, I want two things from you.”

His aunt frowned a bit when he made it clear the deal would only keep him out until after the mission but didn’t protest.

“I suppose if I want to keep you after our mission is completed, further negotiations will have to take place.”

Vel nodded, but said nothing, waiting for her to ask the obvious question.

“What are these two things that you want from your aunt then?”

Vel held up one finger.

“First of all, the aforementioned spreading of your legs. Though something tells me that won’t exactly be a chore for you either.”

Fionne raised a skeptical eyebrow at that but said nothing. Vel was confident though, even without his powers to boost his prowess. He extended a second finger.

“When we catch our quarry, I want to make sure we bring her in alive, and I want you to make sure your crews know they are not to harm her.”

There was no missing Fionne’s surprise at his second demand. Vel got the impression she wasn’t doing a lot to hide her reactions anymore. Perhaps she was trying to show how open and honest she was being.

“That is… Now what I expected. Might I ask why you want her alive?”

Vel decided to keep going with the honesty plan, it was working so far. He shrugged.

“The truth is that I don’t know either. Uncle Kal urged me to keep her alive though, saying I would regret killing her. He did not tell me why.”

Fionne’s brows furrowed as she considered that. Vel was curious to see if she could shed some light on what her brother’s reasons might be but was quickly disappointed.

“As much as it irks me, I really have no idea why Kal asked that of you. It makes little sense to me.”

Her expression quickly brightened though.

“But that’s not important right now, we can leave the speculation for another day.”

She got up and walked around the desk to stand in front of the still seated Vel.

“I accept your terms, dearest nephew.”

She extended her hand as if offering to shake on it. Vel got up too, then reached out and grasped it. He was well aware that his aunt was trying to pull a fast one on him. They had not specified how many times she had to spread her legs for him or whether or not that part of the deal would last the length of the mission. But he was confident that once she’d had a taste, she would want more. Let her think she had won a small victory for now. The real winner here was him, he had gotten everything he wanted for now and had to give up nothing for it.

They let go of each other’s hand and let them drop back down, his aunt treated him to an outrageously cheeky smile.

“So, did you want me immediately? Because my bed is conveniently right over there.”