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Vying For The City (AE x Machiavelli)

As Nicholas stepped down from the carriage, he waved the driver away, obviously not intending to leave anytime soon. His eyes lifted to the woman who had beaten him just a few weeks prior, hungrily devouring the flirtatious and scandalous view of her body in that simple dress. His own garb was a dark grey, with a short shirt clasped with silver buttons, the fabric perfectly fitting. His pants were equally well tailored, and tucked into polished leather boots that looked at home in a formal occasion or on a dark night creeping through alleyways and listening at windows, which they had done many a time, before he had lackeys to do that for him.

"Lady Sophia, as elegant and as confident as the last time we spoke. Let us see if you're actually prepared for what I have in store." He said with a smile, taking her hand. "I do think I will be rewarded, but in my own solid victory." He returned with a sly smile, the smile of a man who knew a great deal and was ready to bring his full power to bear.

"But before we delve into the politics and intrigue, why don't you tell me what is for dinner? I'm quite curious to see what you've prepared your future master." He said with a smirk, following her lead to the patio, where the table awaited them, once more seating them face to face across their food like chess players at a table. "And then you can tell me your first bit of plans, yes?"
 
"Of course Nicolas, dinner is the most important meal of the day" she added mirthfully, before taking her seat at one end of the table, gesturing for him to do the same. "Dinner is grilled chicken breast, lightly seasoned and sauteed in lemons, served over a a plate of fettuccine with a creamy alfredo sauce. The wine is from Venice." Sofia paused for a second and added "If you're not filled by the end of the meal, there's a side of crow to eat later" she added with a wicked grin. The best part of the evening was definitely the gloating.

Sofia took a decent chunk of the main course and raised it to her mouth, enjoying the fine ingredients nobility afforded. "Oh but Nicolas, I hardly think it's fair I go first again. After all, I'm sure your plan is cunning and crafty, much like your last one. Tell me, did you blackmail first and bribe second this time? Or did you mix things up and bribe first and blackmail second? It's always so hard to tell what spymasters like to do, after all" she added sardonically, taking another bite of her meal before sipping the wine.

She eyed him for a second before deciding to gloat further, even if she would have all night in her dungeon to do so. "I'm just thrilled to show you the dungeon. I think you'd be proud of it. It's stocked to the brim with fun things I'll use on you after your second defeat. Tell me Nicolas, when you lose tonight will you concede? Even if you control the church, I don't think you can win without the police and the wealth of Florence" she quipped, before leaning back with wine glass in hand, waiting to hear the first outlines of his plan.
 
Nicholas merely gave her a sly look as she offered crow as a dessert, in case he was not hungry, his eyes bright as he smirked. "That won't be necessary, I don't think, unless you wish to partake in it yourself." He said with a chuckle, sitting easily across from her at the table. "But the menu sounds quite delicious, and Venetian wine is never to be scoffed at." He said with a smile, sighing contentedly as he settled into his seat. He cut off a piece of chicken and placed it between his lips as she spoke, chewing slowly as she mocked him, his lips still curled in a calm, confident smile. He swallowed, and then began a retort.

"Dear Sophia, even the youngest spymaster knows you can't bribe the banker." He teased, leaning back. "But very well. I can most certainly reveal the first stages of my plan. You may recall that Ricardo Cupo has an appreciation for the finer things in life, and given his wealth, there is little that impresses him, aside from extreme rarities. I recently had a man slip onto a freighter bound for India, and he acquired some lovely samples of expensive incense and exotic liquors. Last evening, I presented them to our friend Ricardo, giving them as gifts in exchange for his support in my claim to Florence. We've had a wonderful relationship over the years, given his love for cheating the banking system and my love for making money and building knowledge. It only seemed natural that our relationship progress into a more profitable one." The man paused to consume a bit more of his dinner, then sipped at the wine, more than comfortable in his current position.

"Of course, I'm certain you would simply replace Ricardo, given the opportunity, so I took a few precautions, just in case. You remember my man on the financial board? He convinced them that it was unsafe to store the city's full wealth in one place, and suggested that it would be better divided into six parts. Ricardo, and now myself, are the only ones who know the information on all six vaults." Nicholas paused yet again, this time to smirk across the table at her. "So, you were saying something about the dungeon? Plenty of things I can toy with? I look forward to exploring it and you fully..."
 
Nicolas' plan was unexpected, and it was enough to make Sofia choke on a sip of her wine. It was not, however, enough to stop her from continuing her streak of arrogance. After all, his plan may have started strong but there was no way he could best her trump card. The gifts had no merit on her plan; she had no interest in befriending Cupo, he was a foppish fool she could not abide by. The reallocation of wealth was an issue, but certainly not one that couldn't be overcome. Sofia smirked and took another bite of her dinner, the main course almost gone now.

"A sneaky little spy" she muttered out loud, though the comment was to herself. "No matter, you won't be so sneaky when I control the wealth and you're in shackles. There are plenty of things down there you can toy with, by the way. There's a pole you can grab onto when the pain is too much to bear and a pillow for you to muffle your cries of anguish and pleasure alike" she quipped, before turning to business.

"I have no intention of befriending Cupo, your gifts were a waste. I prefer my associates to have a clear head and cheap tastes. You see, you mentioned your influence in the finance board last time we met and I decided to dig into that. You see, men are so easy to control, aren't they?" Sofia grabbed one of the cherry tomatoes and idly palmed it while she talked "Men are easy to control because they tell everyone exactly what makes them tick; women, gold, and status. I have no doubt that you pay your agents well, but I'm afraid there's no amount of wealth in the world that can protect your dear agent from having his wife taken into custody by Constable Kempny. Now, I'm sure he's loyal to you, but I wonder for how long? Every week he gets a new package, after all, sometimes of a finger, sometimes a toe. Suffice it to say I'm content to keep sending him body parts until he's under my thumb completely. As it is, he's called an emergency meeting of the finance council tonight and promised me to revoke any of your measures. So, I guess you could say he's not really your agent, but my agent" she added with a laugh, smashing the tomato in her hand for emphasis.

"You'll have to do better than that Nicolas" she purred, finishing the last bites of her dinner and signalling a servant to fetch her plate and refill her cup. Sofia had one more card left, followed by her trump card, but she was certain it was enough to beat Nicolas.
 
Even as she spoke, Nicholas chuckled and smiled, shaking his head slightly. "And you claim I'm predictable!" he said with an open laugh, leaning back in his chair and picking up his own glass of wine, absolutely unperturbed as she crushed the small tomato in her fingers. "I gave you a little tidbit of information the last time we met. You didn't pause to think about how religiously careful I am with the information about my operations, how much about my own plan I keep under lock and key. No, instead, you leapt at the chance to have something to use against me." Nicholas shook his head with a smirk, setting the glass down after swallowing a long sip.

"Miss Sofia, I'm certain Julian thought he called an emergency meeting tonight. After all, he did sent out the missive with a courier earlier today. However, I expected as much from you, having revealed that little weakness two weeks ago, and I've kept a very close eye on him. And so, when he called for a courier on the eve of our second great battle, I was suspicious, and sent one of my agents to impersonate a messenger. I personally examined the message and discovered his broken loyalty, and had the problem eliminated." Nicholas stated, the words rolling off his tongue with the ease and carelessness of a man who organized death on a daily basis, and carried no remorse. "You can chop his poor wife to bits, but dead men don't talk. And don't bother sending your lackeys out to find evidence. There isn't much, and none of it will lead to me."

Nicholas cut another small chunk of chicken off of his meal, placing it between his lips and chewing. "I'll have to make sure to remove the pillow. I'd much rather hear you scream and moan." He commented, setting his own plate aside. "Now, of course, I could have let that man live, except I needed to make an example out of him. For at this precise moment, two of the six vaults have been emptied, and their golden contents transferred to my own little base of operations, locked up safely in my personal vault, the best ever built. A third of Florence's wealth is now in the hands of the Umbra Private Bank, and available for use only when I control the city."

The smug, handsome rogue leaned forward, smiling across the table at her. "Come on, darling. Fight me. I love a feisty woman, particularly when I'm going to put them in their place." He said, eyes sweeping her from head to toe. "Besides... I think you'll enjoy it. They say the women who are dominant in life are so very submissive in sex..."
 
And just like that a card was removed from the deck. The next part of her plan had relied on Julian, or at least the assistance of the finance council, and now weeks of preparation were thrown out the window. Sofia jumped out of her chair and threw the wine glass to her side at the wall of the villa in rage, partially at his own smugness and partially at her own stupidity. She turned to face the wall, away from the gaze of Nicolas, and took several deep breaths regaining her composure. He couldn't beat her trump card, there was no way. Sofia matted down the bust of her dress, and turned to face him, her voice more reserved and her eyes spitting pure fire.

"I'd send you the chopped up pieces of his wife if you gave a shit about anybody around you who didn't have a purpose" she growled, before turning to face the sunset, basking in the glow of the last moments of daylight, a metaphor in some ways for their own situation perhaps. "No matter. Your tricks may work for the side shows of the evening, but let me lay out my last card and see if you have anything up your sleeve for that. You may have one third of the wealth of the city, but that wealth is attached to the trade. Isn't it ironic? All the wealth in the world and only a small amount of it isn't committed to something already. In reality you're nothing but a pauper without the trade that this very city relies on."

Sofia turned to sneer at him as she delivered the thrust of her plan to Nicolas. "I had my associated keep an eye on Julian and the meeting. While none of them have influence on the council, they know that he's dead and the charge is failed. Obviously I can't get to the wealth now. I can stop you, though." Sofia eyed him wildly as she finished her plan "I did manage to find a portion of the money, i now know it to be one sixth of the wealth of Florence. Unfortunately neither you nor I have it. However a group of Barbary pirates do, and their flags now fly off to the coast of Italy. Tell me, my dear Nicolas, what will you do when profits start drying up and debts start mounting. After all, I doubt many caravans will get through the roaming bands of pirates without my permission, and Constable Kempny is oddly indifferent to the plight of the merchant class."

Sofia smirked at Nicolas, her eyes still harboring vengeance. Tonight was bound to be rougher than their last encounter. "I'm going to whip you until you beg for me to stop" she added with a sneer "Julian would've been such a useful asset."
 
Nicholas laughed, waving a finger at her. "Now now, Sophia, we've already learned that you can't make me beg." He said with a smile. "Julian may have been useful to you, but alas, I couldn't have someone that knew of my operations sharing that information with a potential enemy, could I? No, an example had to be made, to prevent others from attempting the same kind of backstabbing action. If the silly man had simply come to me and revealed your attempt at coercion, perhaps I could have helped. Though I might have simply killed him sooner, but that would have made for a far less interesting dinner, no?" He paused, finishing off the last of his wine with a quick swig, placing the delicate glass on the table once more.

"Now, those pirates are a bit of an issue, I'll give you that. But given that Florence is quite central to the rest of Italy, and coastal trade through Livorno and Pisa is minimal compared to the land routes, I should be entirely safe. Now, if you had hired highway robbers, then I might have more of an issue, but I can certainly deal with pirates. After all, I have hired several new caravans, as well as guards to escort goods to Rome and Genoa, where they can take the sea routes and bypass your little blockade." Nicholas stood, smoothing his black tunic, a small smug smile on his lips. "That was your last card, Sophia? Here I was, all ready to defend myself against all kinds of clever attacks, and yet that's all you've prepared for me?" He taunted. "In short, you cannot stop me. I control the wealth and the gold, and gold is everything."

He slowly paced over to her, a predatory manner in his step and in his eyes. "Now... I believe you prepared an dungeon for me? Why don't we put it to good use and see how much noise you make when I savor my victory. I do think I can make you beg..."
 
Sofia fumed at him, unable to accept her own defeat. "I said they were disrupting caravans you dullard, obviously they disembarked their ships" she hissed, her cool eyes now alight with the flames of rage. He had killed her new agent and now had control of the wealth of Florence. Worst of all was the smugness of his voice, the dripping arrogance that seemed to claim ownership of everything around him. Sofia raised her hand up menacingly as if she was about to backhand him, the hand hovering in the air for a few seconds before dropping and her shoulders slumping at her first defeat.

Nonetheless, the war was still raging, and her defeat tonight was not enough to defeat her entirely. "Only beggars beg, Nicolas" she quipped, a little hesitance in her voice now, though it was barely noticeable. "You see Nicolas, if money won every war, then we'd be Spanish citizens right now. No, this isn't over, not even close. I may have underestimated you this time, but Florence will yet be mine. After all I still own the police." Sofia paused and looked up at him, her face contorted into a defiant glare "You'll never make me beg, we both know your place is at my feet, not the other way around" she growled, before gesturing towards a staircase that was near the entrance of her villa "Feel free to waste your breath trying though" she added, before leading him to the dungeon she had set up for her premature declaration of victory.

The room contained an array of exotic and unique devices, many of them meant for girls. Sofia had, at the time, meant to humiliate him by applying them to Nicolas, but the plan had now backfired. At a pedestal in the center of the room was a glistening silver collar that plainly read "Nicolas" on it, with a lock and a key laying next to it. Sofia was undeniably turned on by the anticipation of what was to come, but she refused to admit it. "Let's get this over with" she commented offhandedly.
 
Nicholas chuckled. "You think me a dullard?" He chuckled. "You've made my point for me - they've left their ships behind, and I'm willing to bet that those vessels are more important to them than your money. Or should I say... my money?" He taunted. "Yes, yes, this fight is far from over, the war is not yet won. But i have found that money is one of the more powerful assets in this world, and so I'm more than happy with the results of this evening. And I do think that I will continue to be pleased by the events to come..." He mused, following her to the dungeon she had so graciously provided for his victory.

As he entered the room, he raised his eyebrows, a small smirk coming to his lips as his eyes landed on the collar in the center of the room. "You shouldn't have, Sophia, but we can't simply let such a lovely piece of metalworking go to waste, can we?" He teased, touching the cool metal ring with a finger. Then he turned to her, his eyes alight with desire, dominance, and amusement. "Now, are you going to strip and kneel for me, on your knees like you should for the true master of Florence, or am I going to have to put you in your place for a second time tonight? I think we both know that I am far stronger than you, and I'd hate to have to rip that dress from your body..." He teased, his voice deepening and becoming more of a lusty growl as he spoke, a finger tracing down the front of her torso, playing over the curves of her breasts.
 
Sofia snorted at his arrogance, rolling her eyes at him and doing her absolute best to glare a hole through his skull. She supposed this was a proper comeuppance for her own arrogance after her last victory, but that didn't mean she had to enjoy it, and it certainly didn't mean she was going to be obedient for the skulking spymaster, even if she had a weird sort of excitement coursing through her. So, Sofia drained the emotions from her vice. No longer did she sound spiteful, annoyed, angry or even excited. When she spoke, her voice was nothing more than a resolute and firm tone that she hoped would make him take a step back metaphorically "Florence has a mistress, and she;s standing right here Nicolas. I'd be careful tonight, whatever you do to me now will be inflicted on you ten times over when I rule Florence."

Sofia took a deep breath and stared up at him, a slight wave of nerves now hitting her. She had no guards in the vicinity, and none were instructed to come check up on her. She was well and truly on her own, and she doubted that she could stop Nicolas from doing whatever he wanted. "I don't kneel willingly before servants" she added plainly, her challenge clear.

If Nicolas wanted her to strip and kneel, he would have to make her.
 
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