Loulan's Rise

"I'd love to be your student, Loulan." Anthony answered her, listening and focusing on her every word and letting her guide him along. Woefully unable to ignore the dancer's wiles or suggestions.

A servant of Anthony rushed to the hall, seemingly exhausted and urgency.
"Your Highness... T.. There's something you need to know.."
Anthony then proceeds to be briefed on an attack on a minor convoy, with the victims left in a brainwashed state and the attacker's location has been found. The servant then consults the king for what their next move will be.

Anthony considers briefly and then answers promptly, broken out of his reverie by the servant's grave news. "Keep the victims safe and try to bring them back to lucidity. Surround the attacker and do not let them escape, and then find a way to apprehend them." He commanded without hesitation.

"You seem to have a midara problem, my king. In where I came from, they were a rather common sight around dark corners. Fortunately, there's a solution to it."
Loulan spoke up once again, with her seductive voice and her perfumes slowly creeping up both men's mind.

There they were, those chills were coming back, listening to her velvety voice. Anthony took a breath, mesmerizing himself further with Loulan's perfume. "What solution do you have in mind, my lady?" He asked her, wondering what she might be planning.

"Negotiation. They prey on the weak willed, and thus falters in the presence of a strong and commanding figure."
The beauty once again blesses Anthony with her heavenly whispers as the servant is too busy ogling Loulan's perfect body.
"And I think I know just the person we needed~"

"What person do you have in mind, my lady?" King Anthony asked the bewitching maiden, too busy inhaling her pheromones and listening to her whispers to worry about thinking about her answer for himself.

Loulan giggles lightly for a second, and gently embraces the king by the waist before continuing with her idea.
"You, of course~ Where else could you find such a commanding and charismatic person~?"

Anthony blushes and tenses up a little bit at Loulan getting closer to him. "So, I should try to negotiate with Midara, right. Yes, I can do that, I can convince them to change their ways." He affirmed, confident that he was the man for the job.

"You will do a wonderful job, I assure you~ Now, we still have a ball to attend~"
Loulan turns towards the center of the hall and takes a step towards it, waiting for her partner to do the same.

Anthony follows after her, of course, not knowing any doubt in his mind. He can worry about the negotiations later, for now, the ball.

Loulan took the king around for small talk with the guests - an assortment of middle and high class citizens and some royalty. Once again, the dancer became the center of the conversation, as many stood in awe of her beauty. One even tried to pay her a decent sum of gold for a private performance.
"It would be my pleasure, sir. But..."

Anthony also refuted the guest's attempt to woo over Loulan, partly to keep him from getting out of hand, and partly so Loulan would stay by his side. "Let us all enjoy the ball instead, hm? It wouldn't be fair to take her away from it, now, would it?" He asked, hoping he wasn't being too pushy in speaking for Loulan.

"I was going to say the exact thing. Now, shall we~?"
Loulan brought her hand towards Anthony with a subtle wink, inviting him to another sensual dance with the skillful seductress.

"I'd be honored, Loulan." Anthony said, trying to hide how giddy he was at the chance to dance with her again. Her wink was all the temptation he needed to throw himself at her for another waltz around the ball.

The performance was wonderful as usual, with Loulan's elegant movement and beautiful attire slowly but surely ensuring the king's infatuation with her. The dance finished with Anthony visibly exhausted, partly from all the dancing, but mostly from lusting for Loulan.

Anthony was shaking with longing, a desire to smell Loulan's perfume, watch her every movement, hear her voice, admire her beauty, feel her body. And most of all, taste those lips that have eluded and teased him throughout their dance. "You're wonderful, my lady." He panted, trying to restrain his lust.

"You are wonderful too... But you seem rather tired... How about we find somewhere quiet to take a rest, maybe the balcony~? For just the two of us~"
Loulan dripped irresistable words on Anthony once again, seemingly unfazed by the intense performance.

"Y-yes, I think I need a small break. You don't seem fazed at all, my lady. Wow, and you were dancing up a storm!" Anthony said, praising Loulan and accepting her invitation. The implications weren't lost on him, but he tried not to preoccupy himself with the possibility of being alone and intimate with Loulan.

Loulan walked with Anthony towards a nearby balcony, ands leads the king towards a seat and sits down with you, preparing some tea. The hot summer weather certainly isn't helping to calm Anthony down as it only increases his lust for the dancer.

At least the two of them had some privacy, but Anthony cursed the summer heat, the last thing he needed was to be more hot and bothered. Oh, he needed that tea something fierce. "Thank you, but I could've prepared tea as well, if you would've liked. You are my guest, after all."

"You seem like you needed it more though~ Have a drink~"
Loulan's teasings lead Anthony to pick up the teacup and bring it close to his panting lips.

"Y-y-you're right, my lady. Thank you for your kindness." Anthony said before he sipped the tea Loulan made for him, eager for it to cool both his mind and body.

And cool his mind it did, alongside the side effect of making Loulan's whispers much more alluring, as she inches in for a tempting invitation.
"Are you free after the ball~? I don't really have anything to do tonight sooo..."

"Would you like a private encore~?

Anthony gasped in relief as he swallowed the tea, and Loulan's invitation made his heart soar. "I'm free after the ball, and I'd love a private encore, my lady! If you would be so kind, of course." He answered her, blushing deeply at listening to just what he wanted to hear.