Chapter 28 – The Dates Part 4

Date With Suki ~

While most decided to leave the house, Suki, my fallen angel wife-to-be dressed in gothic lolita styling pulled on my hand to lead me excitedly down the hallway of my manor towards the basement dungeon she had set up. 

"I can't wait~ I can't wait~!" She sang a happy, very perverse, song. "Pin me down~, tie me rough~, smack me around~, and fill me up~!"

I couldn't help but laugh with her and share her excitement, though mine was for a completely different reason. 

This day was a long time coming for my dishonest angel. 

When we got midway down the hallway and approached the door to my room, I stopped letting her drag me, reversed her hold so that I was grabbing her wrist, and then pulled her inside my room. 

Her response was an adorably confused, "Huh?"

Once inside, I closed and locked the door, and, while she still stared at me uncertainly, I bent down to give her a kiss. 

It was not a rough kiss, nor was it intense or overly passionate. It was a sweet kiss, a tender one that passed on strong emotions of love and care. 

It was Suki's greatest weakness, and her knees nearly buckled as she lost the strength in her legs. 

I didn't miss a beat and scooped her up into a princess carry as I led her to my bed. Once there, I sat her down on the edge and got down on one knee in front of her. 

No, it was not to propose. We were way past that point already, but it was intended to make this moment more meaningful for her. 

Suki's face was beet red and her eyes were wide with shock at the unexpected attack of affection. 

Unlike Ares who was weak to affection but still liked an aggressive approach, or Azuza who wanted to be pampered at all times, I felt that Suki needed the real deal. She wanted to feel loved and needed, and that was exactly what I was going to do.

All my girls were different, and it was only a second-rate, trash, harem protagonist who treated all his women the same while ignoring their individual needs. I would never let myself become that. I would make this work - Make this really work, and not just focus on my own happiness.

With that thought in mind, I move forward with "Operation Drown Her In Love."

I took one of Suki's hands in mine, kissed the back of it, and looked deeply into her eyes. 

"Suki..." I start as I smile at her.

"Y-Yes?" She asks in a breathy tone. 

"I love you. I want you to know that and have no doubts about it in your mind. You will be my wife from now until the end of time. I will never let you go, I will never leave you, and I will never let anything bad happen to you again. You are not alone, you are not unwanted, and I will cherish you for all of my days." I declare with true emotions and feelings backing my words. 

Suki's eyes widen further and tears start to stream down the side of her face as her lips quiver helplessly. 

"T-That...That's not fair, Zeneff." She says as her head falls. She tries to use her free hand to wipe the tears from her eyes, but I catch it, move it into my grasp with my other hand, and tip her chin up so that she was looking at me as I use my thumb to clear her tears myself. 

I then lean in and tenderly kiss her once more. 

I can feel her shaking and quivering at my touch, so I treat her very gently as I move my free hand to cradle her cheek. 

When our kiss is done, I tilt my head back and speak slowly, "Suki...I want to make a proposition to you."  

She looks up at me vulnerably and I can tell she is nervous about my request. 

"Y-Yes?" She asks in barely a whisper.

"This will be our first time alone. We have had sex together many times at this point, but this is the first time it is just you and I. I want to propose...that we take it slowly, tenderly, and softly. That we take off the outfit, you relax the persona you have made for yourself, and we bare our everything to each other and hide nothing away."

Her shaking has redoubled and there is no sign of the confident, perverse girl of 5 minutes ago. 

"I love you, Suki. I love the outfit you wear, I love your bratty, sex kitten attitude, and I love the sexual inuendos you make all the time...but I also love the softer side of you. I love the vulnerability that you put a mask on to hide, and I love the gentle way we just kissed just as much as I love you when you are pawing my clothes off." I continue with a soft chuckle.

"I propose we have this time and allow ourselves to bond, and then, once we are both satisfied and our affection meters have reached max, we can go to your sex dungeon and do everything you want...What do you say?" I finish my proposition to her.

Suki laughs and smiles beatifically at me with tears still glistening in her eyes. "I'd like that very much, Zeneff."

I smile widely back and stand her up as I pull her into a tight hug. I don't move to do anything else but hug her. I show her through my words and my actions that I am here for her. She lasts less than a minute before she breaks down completely. 

Feelings she refused to acknowledge previously rush to the forefront as she cries. The pain of her brother, someone she loved very deeply, dying, her parents frozen in time, within reach but unable to be saved, finding herself alone without anyone in the world to comfort her, meeting me and falling in love at first sight, her parent's recovery and the betrayal of losing their acceptance, her brother being revived, but not the same, and her struggle between two different lives - One she made to cope with events that transpired and one she remembers fondly but can never return to.  

These and more thoughts flood through Suki as she cries and clings to me. 

She has always been the most emotional of all my harem members as well as the one who hides the most from me. She is scared of facing these things, and I show that I can be her rock. That I will love and support her regardless of if she is strong or weak at that moment.

After she has let out all that she has held in, she looks up to my face and stands on her tip-toes to kiss me as her arms wrap around my neck. The kiss is desperate and needy, and I try to give her everything she wants and needs back.  

She fumbles at the straps and buckles on her outfit, trying to get out of them as soon as possible, but I stop her shaking hands, and assist her. 

The next few minutes consist of me moving to an article of clothing on her body, removing it slowly, then kissing the newly exposed skin while keeping eye contact with her the whole time.

It is just as sweet and romantic as it is sensual, and I can tell she is enjoying every second of it. 

Suki's shaking and quivering slowly pass, and her look of vulnerability is replaced by burning passion and love. With each action I do, I tell her how much she means to me, reassure her that I love her, and compliment her on how beautiful she is. 

By the time she is fully naked, the confidence from earlier has returned to her, and she pushes me back on the bed to do the same to me. 

We then make love, not fuck, not frantically rut, but truly make love to one another. It is slow and sensual, deep and meaningful, and with every passing second the difference between the Suki from before she met me and the Suki that I've known up till now merge into one. 

By our second and third rounds, she becomes playful, flirty, and craves more and more of me in new and interesting ways. 

Yet, even when she asks me to go farther and farther with her, there is a connection that was absent before. In between the sex, the kitten that likes to play is still there, but she is much tamer and shares long periods of sweetness in addition to her playfulness. 

I never knew cuddling and talking with someone could be so much fun, but Suki makes it fun. She is just a generally great person to hang out with and the hours seem to fly by. 

Late into the evening, after feeding her chocolate-covered strawberries, I ask her if she wants to show me her dungeon, but she just smiles at me and shakes her head. 

"Don't get me wrong, we will be going down there and exploring all of that, but right now...For right now, I just want this. I just want you." She says as she climbs up my chest to kiss me once more. 

She then chews her lip for a second and I laugh at the cuteness of her indecision. 

"What is it Suki, you can tell me anything." I egg her on. 

"Well...I don't want to go to the dungeon...but I do kinda want you to tie me up and have your way with me...Maybe we can even roleplay that I am your prisoner?" She asks while looking at me from below with upturned eyes. The innocence of her look and the words she speaks do not match at all...And it turns me on to no end.

I smirk and push her off me to stand. I then snap my fingers as ropes of blue energy tie her wrists and ankles to the four posters of my bedframe. 

She gasps, laughs, then looks up at me with pure adoration. "Thank you for being so good to me, Zeneff."

"You want to say that now?" I ask with a raised eyebrow, gesturing to the magical ropes.

She giggles cutely, and then her demeanor changes all at once. 

"Where am I? Who are you? Why-Why am I naked!?! What...What are you going to do with me?" Suki takes on her role as I stand over her in shock. 

Shit, maybe she needs to be an actress! She is really good at this! 

"Sorry, my dear, but this evil dragon is going to have to defile you. You may be screaming no now, but soon you will be begging me for more!" I announce menacingly, trying to get in character in turn.

Suki gasps in mock horror, "You demon! You bad, bad dragon! You may take my body, but you will never take my heart!"

I freeze for a second as her words ring familiar to me...then my eyes widen as I realize where.

She...She sounds just like her mom did on the day Suki fell...

Mentally, I replace the black hair with the blonde of her mother and I realize they actually look very similar. 

Suki notices my indecision and her act drops immediately. "Zeneff? What's wrong?"

"Ah, uh, nothing. You just kinda sounded like-" I start but snap my mouth shut. That would probably not be the best conversation topic to bring up right now. 

"I sounded like...?" Suki puzzles over my words, before realization dawns on her, and her cheeks flush a deep red. 

"Zeneff..." She growls in a warning tone.

"I didn't do anything! I didn't say anything!" I defend with wild hand motions.

Suki sighs, looks to the side, and bites her bottom lip. She then looks back up at me with conviction. "I suppose Azuza and Hagi already set the precedent. If you really want to bring my Mom in, I guess I am okay with it-"

"NO!" I scream out in an instant rejection.

Suki stares at me and I stare back, then...

We both burst out laughing. 

"Get over here and fuck me you dumb dragon." She commands through her laughs.

"Yes, ma'am. Anything to get that image out of my head!" I answer back with a smile. 

The rest of the night we really got into roleplaying. With illusion magic I could make whatever outfit she wanted and, wow, did she have some ideas. 

In between our rough and playful sex, however, we would stop to cuddle or have a sweet and passionate round. 

The dynamic had changed for the better and we both felt more comfortable with it and each other. 

It was a great night and I fell asleep with her in my arms feeling that things had finally been sorted out. 

'Just...Dear God, no more talk of her mom...'

* | * | *

Late in the evening, Suki woke up and gently removed herself from Zeneff's embrace. 

She smiled down at him lovingly and kissed his forehead lightly, before slipping out of his room and into her own. 

She would return shortly, but Hagi had work for her to do tonight, and it just so happened to be her second favorite pastime after fucking Zeneff; Torturing his enemies. 

She put on a set of scrubs and tied her hair back into a bun to tuck under a rubber hat. She then put on a clear plastic face shield, that would protect her from unwanted fluids while not obstructing her field of view at all. 

Once she was dressed, she checked her phone for the list of people Hagi had imprisoned, what needed to be found out, and whether they were to live the night or not. 

Suki then hummed a happy tune as she walked into the Silverscale Manor's backyard and opened a large shed, nearly the size of a barn.

Zeneff had never been in here, and it worked perfectly for their needs. The shed looked the same as it always had from the outside, but was completely different from what it had once been on the inside. 

It was completely gutted and replaced by cut-up shipping container steel to make walls, floors, and a ceiling. Behind that were many layers of special insulation to keep sound from traveling out. A small room had been made into the first quarter of the shed and it served as both Suki's storage area as well as an airlock to keep her guests inside.

Past the small room's door was the shed proper and lining all of the steel surfaces of this much larger space were clear tarp sheets like those used by painters. 

Suki moved inside the shed and locked the first door behind her. She then spread her arms wide and smiled as she beheld all the wonderful tools of torture mounted on the far wall of this small room. She puts on disposable gloves from a large container before quickly filling a cart with tools she wanted to use tonight. The cart is then wheeled into the second larger room as she shouts out a greeting. 

"Hiya, everyone! I will be your server for the night. Would you care to look at the menu or would you rather I pick for you?"

Inside the large room were 2 men and 1 woman that were strapped to chairs with duct tape securing their ankles, legs, wrists, arms, torso, neck, and mouths. The chairs were bolted into the steel floor and were also made of steel. 

"What's that? You want me to choose? How kind of you~!" Suki answers herself with a laugh as she finishes rolling in the cart, careful to not get the tarp snagged on the wheels.

The men both scream past the tape in their mouths and the woman cries pitifully. 

"Well then, let's get started, shall we? You all work for the Night Council and I have some questions for you. Answer them honestly and I will only hurt you a little. Lie to me, and we will get to have lots and lots of fun together! As for how I will know if you are being truthful or not..." Suki trails off with a jovial smile and points to an orb mounted on the wall that was dark and inert. 

"Magic is super handy for that, don't you think? Tell the truth, and the orb turns green. Lie, and the orb turns red. Simple, right?"

She then points to the first man on her left. He was bald, fat, and sweating profusely. "You're first fatty, lucky you!"

Suki reaches into the cart and pulls out two items. The first is a blowtorch which she lights and placed down carefully, and the second is a walnut cracker.

"So, fatso, do you want your potential children cooked or squished?" She asks politely before fake smacking her forehead, mindful of the face shield she wore. "Oh, silly me, I forgot to ask the question! Tehee! Sorry, I just had an amazing night and I am in such a great mood~!"

Suki rips the duct tape from the man's face and smiles down at him.

"F-Fuck you, b-bitch! I-I'm n-not afraid of y-you!" 

Suki pouts, shakes her head, and spins around to the cart as the orb on the wall turns red. 

"That was rude. Well, no problem~! We can surely fix that." 

And, as Suki turns with the blowtorch in one hand and the walnut cracker in the other, her figure is lit from behind by the blood-red light of the orb on the wall. A too-wide smile can be seen on her face along with a pair of blank, soulless eyes staring out at the prisoners. 

"We will just have to go with both~!"

* | * | *

Date With Sophia~

Sophia Akura, Demon Lord of the Untouchable Realm in Russia and my soon-to-be wife, was unbelievably cute. 

Dates with my horrible succubus were always amazingly refreshing, and while this was only my second one with her, I always felt my soul recharging from just being in her presence.  

Today was no exception. We had decided on a nice, normal date of hiking in the mountains, and we couldn't have picked a better day. 

The sky was clear, the weather was perfect, and a soft breeze rustled through the trees as we hiked.

From where we stood, currently halfway up our trek and on a grassy cliff, we could see out onto a wooded valley below.

Sophia looked breathtaking in her light blue sundress, matching floppy hat, and leather hiking boots. One of her hands was tucking a lock of her silver hair behind her ear as she looked out, and the other was intimately linked with my own. The rays of the sun above cast rainbow hues on her dress through the early morning dew clinging to the grass below our feet.

"It's beautiful," Sophia says with a warm smile on her face.

"Yes, you are," I answer back smoothly with a toothy grin of my own while I squeeze her hand gently. 

Sophia looks over to me, blushes, and tucks her head down to her chest shyly, but her smile only grows. 

"S-Should we eat here?" She asks, only stuttering once to her credit.

"If you'd like. The grass seems soft and the view is excellent." I say back, moving over to the wicker basket we had set down earlier and pulling out a large blanket for us to sit on. 

Once it was spread out near the cliff edge, but far enough away to be safe, I move the basket onto it and prepared to take out the brunch foods we had packed before we left. 

'I really owe Sammy for cooking this for us before her own date.' I think, but then realize that there was no way she wasn't going to take advantage of that fact during her date, so it was probably fine. Other me would just have to go along with her wishes to make up for it.

"Freeze!" Sophia shouts, starling me slightly, as I stop my movements but turn my head to face her. 

She looks at me from where she stands on the cliff's edge with her hands clenching the hem of her dress. 

'Her hands are shaking a lot,' I realize as I raise an eyebrow at her.

"Yes?" I ask, deciding to play along and see where this was going.

"W-Would you rather eat that there..." Sophia stammers before jerking her dress up in a rough motion revealing a set of white, see-through, lingerie beneath, "O-Or would y-you like to enjoy eating in!"

I stop breathing.

I close my eyes and turn my head slowly.

'Don't laugh, Zeneff. You are a real bastard if you laugh now.' I think as I bite the inside of my cheek. 

Turning back to her, my body trembling a bit, I ask, "Sophia, did you, perhaps, mean, 'Eat you out?'"

Her face is completely red and tears are gathering at the corners of her eyes. "Y-Yes!" She hisses through clenched teeth. "I-I was just...J-Just testing you! You passed, c-congratulations, Zeneff! N-Now, come claim y-your prize!"

I set down the basket, stand up, walk over to her, and gently lower her hands as I pull her into a hug. "That was great Sophy, you have improved a lot," I whisper as I hold her close and kiss the top of her head. 

"Really? Honest?" Sophia practically begs, relief evident in her voice. 

'White lies are great. And she really has improved, so it is not much of a white lie! Before, she wouldn't have even had the courage to do this!'

"Truly, *hic* I was enraptured *hic* by you," I answer, pushing down the laughter that threatened to explode out as best I could. 

Her brilliant smile greeted my words and she hugs me close...before freezing herself. 

"Zeneff." She asks in a monotone.

"Y-Yes, Sophy?" I respond, fighting a giggle.

"Why are you trembling right now?"

"I was too enraptured by you."

"Were you really enraptured?"

"Yes, I was enraptured as far as I possibly could be enraptured."

"Then why do you keep repeating the same word?"

"Because 'Enrapture' is the only word that encompasses the full breadth of my feelings."

"You are holding back laughter, aren't you?"

"I...I'm not."

"You are." She says and stomps her foot while looking up at me with the most adorable puffed-out-cheeked-pout I have ever seen. 

I lose it. 

I collapse to the cliffside laughing hard and have to wipe the tears that form in my eyes. 

Sophia crosses her arms, stomps over to the basket, flops down onto the blanket, takes out an egg sandwich, and starts eating it angrily while facing away from me. 

This only redoubles my laughter and it takes me a couple of seconds to get it under control. 

When I do recover, I crawl over to her and hug her waist tightly. 

"I'm sorry, sweetie, that was mean of me."

"Ih wus¹Translation: It was.." She says as she somehow pouts and eats at the same time. 

She swallows violently, spins around, and glares at me. "I worked hard planning that!"

"Sophia," I answer, now feeling like the jackass I was, "I'm sorry for laughing, but I did mean it that you did better than before."

"I'm not falling for it a second time!" She growls out, taking another bite of her sandwich and chewing while glaring at me.

'Have I mentioned she is cute?'

I sigh and cup her cheek. "Would you have been able to do the same on the day we first met?" I ask as I stare into her ruby-colored eyes.

She looks away slightly and mumbles out a "No..."

I use my finger to move her head back to look at me. "Then you did better. This isn't something that you will learn overnight, my silly little succubus. You don't need to seduce me with your body, because I am already completely yours with something else that is as natural as breathing to you."

She swallows again, and stares up at me with misty, hopeful eyes, "What?"

"Your innocent smile has captured my heart more securely than your body ever could, Sophia. You may be a horrible succubus, but your natural innocence and cuteness are powerful enough to get me to do whatever you want, whenever you want. You don't need to seduce me, I am already within your thrall through that alone." I explain as I lean in to kiss her.

She scrunches up her face as she thinks, and my heart flutters at the beauty and cuteness of the action. 

"My...innocence...is sexy to you?" She clarifies, looking up at me once more.

"Gods, yes." I say with a sigh, "You make me feel like I am corrupting you, and the dragon in me loves that!"

"You like to feel you're corrupting my innocence..." She repeats, now looking down in thought.

"Well, I kinda feel weird saying it out loud...but, yes. It is a huge turn-on for me." I admit awkwardly, scratching the side of my face.

Sophia nods several times to herself before blinding me with a beautiful smile. "Well, enough of this. Let's not ruin the date and eat, shall we?"

I lean in and share another tender kiss with her before agreeing.

The next hour is a lovely time spent enjoying Samantha's amazing cooking, talking about ourselves and our lives before we met (With me having to dig up some of Zeneff's original memories and combining some of my own), and us enjoying each other's company. 

We lay down on the blanket together as a gentle breeze blows over us. Sophia traces small circles on my stomach with her finger as her head lays on my right pectoral. 

Both of our eyes are closed and we have been silent for the last 15 or so minutes, but it isn't a bad thing at all. The chirping of the birds and rustling of the trees lull us into a peaceful moment.

One that doesn't last.

Suddenly, Sophia clenches her chest and starts shivering. 

I react immediately, sitting up and pulling her up with me as I ask, "Sophia, what's wrong?"

She shivers again and curls into me even further letting out a soft whimper. 

"Sophia!?! Do you need me to heal you? Is the food not sitting well with you?" I ask in a panic.

"I...I feel hot, Zeneff..." She whispers weakly.

"Hot? Like a fever?" I ask worriedly.

"No...Not like that..." She trails off and whimpers once more.

"Sophia, what is it? Please tell me, how can I help you?" 

She looks up at me with upturned, lidded eyes and flushed cheeks, and, for some reason, the dragon in me stirs at her innocent, helpless expression. 

"I'm feeling hot, Zeneff. Please...Please help me." She says again, as her hands move to my chest and clench my shirt tightly. Her eyes are misty and her lips are quivering.

"Where...Where are you feeling hot, Sophia? Is it in your chest?"

"Yesss..." She sighs out, and the way she says it makes the hairs on my neck stand up. She sits up more and moves her face closer to mine, "But...not only there..."

"W-What do you mean?" I ask, feeling conflicting emotions within myself. 

"Here too..." Sophia says in a breathy tone, grabbing my hand and lowering it slowly. She keeps eye contact with me the whole time as she bites her bottom lip and moves my hand inside her dress to touch the very wet, lacy lingerie I saw earlier. 

"Can you help me Zeneff? I...I don't know what is going on, but I need you. I need to feel you...Inside me..." She says this and looks down with embarrassment, only to slowly raise her eyes to mine again with a hopeful expression.  

She then leans forward, showing me her beautiful pale neck, and whispers into my ear, "I think that will stop the burning...You can help me right? I need you, Zeneff."

"I-I can do that. Let me help you, Sophia," I growl out hoarsely as I pull her on top of me and start to kiss and bite at her neck as one of my hands roams her back and the other presses into her dripping panties.

Missed by me was the look of complete victory on Sophia's face as well as the brilliant, blinding smile of satisfaction.   

* | * | *

9 Hours Later

Sophia and I cuddle close to each other, naked, and watching the sunset as it crested behind a nearby mountain. 

Sophia has a smile on her face that hasn't left since the moment we started our carnal pleasures on the cliff-side edge.  

I sigh. 

"I don't think I can call you my horrible succubus anymore." I lament.

She giggles and moves up to kiss me. "You gave me the idea, I am just happy it worked so well! It felt so much more natural than how I was trying to act before. I think my instincts kicked in and helped me with it. Maybe this is the type of succubus I was always meant to be!"

"Whatever the case...Please don't do that to me all the time. I...I don't think I can control myself if you act that way." I admit, covering my face with my hands. 

'I can't believe she got me so easily...and after all the teasing I gave her! Was this karma?'

"We'll see," Sophia says simply, with a smirk on her face.

After another couple of minutes of her basking in her glory and me regretting all the times I had teased her, - She would absolutely pay me back double, I just knew it - I sit up and pull my clothes back to me. 

"We should probably head back now. I don't want to sleep out here without camping equipment." I say.

"You sure~ you don't want to go another round? I think I can still feel an itch I need your help scratching...?" She asks with upturned eyes and a coy, playful expression as she twists a lock of her silver hair around a finger slowly. 

I groan and force myself to look away. 

"Not here. There was a rock poking into my back the last few times and it was a bit uncomfortable. When we get back home though...Yes. I think I need to discipline you more." I say as I put my pants and shirt back on.

"Shame~" She answers with a knowing smile and a giggle. 

"You coming?" I ask once fully dressed.

"Can I stay for a bit longer? I think I want some alone time to think up some new ideas~!"

"...How will you get home? It is over 100 miles away..." I question in confusion.

"Oh, I learned to teleport recently. It was necessary since I have to keep coming back and forth from Russia. I will meet you back home in 30 minutes to an hour tops."

I blink at her. That was not easy magic to learn!

"Color me impressed. See you at home then...my innocent succubus."

"That has so much better of a ring to it than your 'horrible succubus~!'" She teases back as I wave and teleport away.

'Boy do I have egg on my face. She is never going to let me live this down...'

* | * | *

The smile on Sophia's face slowly fades after Zeneff teleports away. 

She has work to do and needs to get it done quickly so that she can return to this marvelous date. 

She dresses, packs up the blanket into the basket, and then teleports to Russia to speak with her father. 

Sophia appears in the throne room of the Demon Lord's Castle to find her father sitting on the bone-covered throne with an unknown demon woman on his lap. He was quite obviously flirting with her and she was quite obviously only interested in his position based on her body language. 

Sophia scowls and clears her throat. 

Demitri Akura, former Demon Lord and current acting Demon Lord for Sophia, leaps off of the thone when he hears his daughter's "Ahem", spilling the gold digger on the hard marble flooring without a care for her safety. 

"Sophie, darling! H-How long have you been standing there?" He asks in a stuttering voice.

"Long enough. Give me a report."

"Right, right. Uh...About her..." He says, making a shooing motion to the demon woman who had been about to scream at him before she saw Sophia and quickly fled the room instead. 

"I don't care," Sophia says emotionlessly. 

"Ah...um...Well, you see...You're mother and I are going through a bit of a rough patch and-"

"I. Don't. Care." Sophia says again, enunciating her words slowly. "Give me a report now, or I will replace you and have you stripped of all your titles."

The ex-Demon Lord gawks at his daughter in shock. Where was the little girl who used to call him "Daddy?" Where was the little crybaby that couldn't stand up for herself without her father present?

"Sophia Rose Akura, I am not sure I like your tone, young lady-" This is all he was able to say before Sophia teleported before him, grabbed him by his throat, and raised him off the ground in one fluid movement. 

She crushed his windpipe with one hand and brought his quickly-turning-purple face close to hers. "Last chance, father," she says with a sneer of derision, "Give me your report. Now."

"We...have...acquired the funds you...asked for -Ack- Can't...Can't breathe..." He stammers out, coughing as he tries to pull himself away from her hand but finds himself unable to. 

Sophia smirks at him, throws him to the marble floor, and takes her seat on the throne as she waits for the rest of the report.

Demetri is smart enough to know not to say or do anything unnecessary. He simply rights himself, kneels, and lowers his head as he continues. "We have acquired the funds you asked for, My Lord. Our armies have been working with Ares Ironback to secure more assets and defeat your enemies, as you requested. The moral is good and we have been able to hide our movements for the time being. The attack on the Vampire City tonight will change that, however, and we will be more restricted from now on as the other world powers will be watching."

"And what of Divisions 1 and 2 as well as the Ghost Teams in Hokkaido?" Sophia asks as she crosses her legs and leans back on the throne. 

"Under Riaru Andersen's orders, we have secured about half of the island. Everyone who is willing to sell or could be coerced into selling their land has done so. The remaining land is owned by profitable businesses, stubborn farmers, or is one of the major cities and towns on the island."

"How go the infiltration efforts into the government?" Sophia questions.

"The Kitsune have been replacing powerful people with themselves under illusions and we are making progress, but it is slow as they need to maintain their covers. We estimate that we will own the entire island by the end of next year and can start making plans for defenses, Celeborn City proper, and the infrastructure necessary to facilitate the new factories you want to be built."

"Good. Keep me informed, and, if anything changes, I want to know about it immediately." Sophia commands as she stands, scoops up the discarded wicker basket, and moves to teleport, but pauses before she does so. 

"And for God's sake, makeup with mom. Don't make me choose between the two of you or I will pick neither of you. No games, dad. There is too much on the line for political maneuvering. I will not hesitate to execute any that get in the way of Zeneff's dream."

With that cheerful goodbye, she teleports back to the most important person in the world to her.

'I wonder what other ways I can use to seduce him~!'