Elenwen nodded along, seemingly listening to Erikur's sycophantic speech to the room. Her attention was mostly on the entrance, however. Jarl Elisif was set to arrive and the girl was late. Considering that nobody here was more important to Elenwen's plans than the young Jarl, the girl's tardiness was enough to set Elenwen on edge. Not that she let her annoyance show, of course. Elenwen wouldn't allow her irritation to ruin the night. Her first meeting with Elisif was far too important for that.
If all went well, then Elisif the Fair would end up becoming Elenwen's submissive plaything. And once that had been accomplished, then Elenwen would work to remove all obstacles to her future pet from becoming High Queen of Skyrim, all the while being an obedient puppet of the Thalmor.
The door to the main hall of the Embassy opened and Elenwen turned at once to look. Yes, there indeed was Jarl Elisif, looking quite pretty with her long, reddish-brown hair and ruby circlet. The Jarl was wearing a heavy coat that was trimmed with white foxtails. The girl was very beautiful for a Nord. Elenwen couldn't really lie to herself: Her plan was first and foremost about fulfilling her mission to bring Skyrim under the rule of the Thalmor, but having such a pretty human as her prospective toy would be an excellent bonus. Elenwen had a very clear preference for women, and unlike some of her kin, found humans to be no less attractive than her fellow elves. Elenwen rather brusquely stepped away from Erikur's half-finished speech and strode to the entrance to meet Elisif before anyone else could do so.
"Your Grace, I am delighted that you could attend." Elenwen said smoothly, looking down at the substantially shorter Nord girl.
"Oh, it's my pleasure, Ambassador. I've heard so much about your parties." Elisif answered at once, clearly excited to be here.
"It gladdens me to hear that they're talked about. But I have to say, none of them have been complete without your presence, Your Grace. May I have a servant take your coat?" Elenwen asked with just a hint of a smile.
Taarie's reports had indicated that she had successfully talked Jarl Elisif into purchasing the courtesan's gown that Elenwen had specifically ordered for her. Taarie had been less confident on whether Elisif would be bold enough to wear it to the Embassy, but a quick glance at Elisif's feet showed the likely answer. The Nord girl was wearing the delicate emerald heels that matched the dress.
"Um, perhaps later, I..." Elisif answered hesitantly, clearly nervous about what she had on underneath her coat.
"Nonsense, Your Grace. You must be roasting under that heavy fur." Elenwen said firmly, stepping closer to Elisif.
Had her intelligence on Elisif not indicated that the Nord girl was a natural submissive, Elenwen might have been a little more circumspect. But every report Elenwen had received had told her that Elisif was trusting and rather weak-willed. That (as well as Elenwen's personal desire to see the girl in an Aldmeri dress) was what propelled her to confidently reach out and unhook the clasp of the coat on Jarl Elisif's throat. Just as Elenwen predicted, the Nord girl drew in a breath and widened her eyes, but made no move to stop her.
Elenwen smoothly removed the fur coat from the Elisif's shoulders and passed it to a waiting servant. She then turned back to get a closer look at the Nord girl in the dress and was momentarily speechless. In her days at the Crystal Court, Elenwen had seen any number of ambitious courtesans wear similar things in an attempt to land themselves a wealthy patron. But what was considered the ideal Altmer body type (lithe and slender) did not appeal to Elenwen very much. She rather preferred the curvier profile that human women possessed, and Elisif certainly fit Elenwen's tastes.
The young Jarl looked delectable in a green and gold silk dress that, while being sized perfectly for her, had not been designed with her body type in mind. Elisif's breasts were just barely contained by the low-cut front of the dress, and her fuller hips and thighs meant that the slits on the silk dress were exposing more than was intended. And the dress had been made with the intention of leaving little to the imagination to begin with.
"I look ridiculous, don't I?" Elisif muttered nervously, having noticed Elenwen staring at her.
"Nothing could be further from the truth, Your Grace. I simply did not expect to see the height of Aldmeri fashion here in Skyrim. You wear it beautifully, and I say that with complete honesty." Elenwen answered without hesitation, already turning to guide Elisif past the entryway.
Elisif was getting a number of looks, of course, but nobody here was crass enough to say a word about the way she was dressed. Which Elenwen appreciated. The young Jarl looked nervous enough already, and Elenwen was quick to motion for an Argonian servant to bring a particular glass of wine for this most important of guests. As she suspected, Elisif was equally quick to accept the glass and wasted little time before taking a deep drink. Clearly, the girl wanted to settle her nerves. Elenwen decided against introducing her to anyone else here quite yet, and instead guided Elisif over a wall of the Embassy where she had hung some large paintings.
"May I show you some of the paintings I mentioned in my letter? This one depicts the golden coast of Lilliandril, near where I was born." Elenwen explained patiently.
"It's so beautiful. Does it really look like that?" Elisif asked excitedly, enraptured by the painting.
"It does, Your Grace. From what I understand, Ordiano the Ornate would only consent to paint this landscape for ten minutes each day, as that was when the light from the sun was perfect. As a result, it took him more than fifty years to complete this painting." Elenwen said smoothly, inventing every detail of what she was saying.
"That's incredible." Elisif answered in an awed fashion.
Elenwen had to smile. Jarl Elisif was just as naive and trusting as her reports indicated. The girl seemed to have no conception of the fact that Elenwen, as a member of the Thalmor, was certain to have designs on her. Instead, Elisif was already treating her as a friend. Without her annoying Imperial-minded advisors here to protect her, manipulating the girl was going to be positively easy. Especially if Elisif continued the pace of her drinking. Elenwen motioned for another glass of wine to be brought to Elisif as soon as the Jarl drained the one she was holding. In doing so, however, Elenwen spied Vittoria Vici in a shadowy corner of the hall. As much as Elenwen wanted to devote all of her attention to her newest guest, she had some minor business to attend to with the Imperial.
"I would like to show you the rest of the paintings, Your Grace, but I am afraid that I have business with some of the others here." Elenwen said apologetically.
"Oh, of course! Don't let me keep you." Elisif said in apparent cheerfulness, even as Elenwen saw some nervousness creeping back into the Jarl's voice.
"I'll be back as soon as I am able, Your Grace. Until then, please enjoy the party." Elenwen explained, smiling courteously.
Elisif nodded, and Elenwen regretfully turned to look for Vittoria. The East Empire Company was once again attempting to levy a docking tax on Thalmor vessels anchored in Solitude Harbor. The fees they assessed were paltry, but it was the principle of the matter. The Thalmor were here in an official capacity to ensure compliance with the White-Gold Concordant. They would not pay a thin copper to the East Empire Company in order to do so. Elenwen would make certain that Vici understood that.
Vici had been quite evasive, both in trying to avoid Elenwen's notice and in their subsequent conversation. Vici, who would boast of her powerful connections to anyone who would listen, had tried to tell Elenwen that she was powerless to waive the tax. Elenwen had done her best to persevere, but there had been...difficulties. Every time Elenwen thought she was getting close to nailing down the irritating Imperial, she would hear Elisif's tinkling laughter from a short distance away and become distracted. The problem became even worse when Elenwen made the mistake of glancing over at the young Jarl.
Just seeing the Nord girl again in that silk Aldmeri courtesan's dress had been enough for Elenwen to lose the thread of what she had been saying, thereby allowing Vici to escape the rhetorical corner Elenwen had herded her into. After the second time it had happened, Elenwen had been forced to accept her temporary defeat. Having only secured a promise from Vici to continue to discuss the matter at a later date, Elenwen wended her way through the guests to find Elisif again.
Elenwen found the Nord girl laughing together with Razelan. The Redguard tradesman could be amusing, assuming he wasn't drunk enough to cause a major disruption. Elenwen was not in a laughing mood, however, and she fixed Razalen with a pointed stare. It was enough for the wily Redguard to take the hint and excuse himself, leaving Elenwen and Elisif with some measure of privacy.
"I'm glad to see that you're enjoying the party, Your Grace." Elenwen pronounced smoothly, already motioning for an Argonian servant to bring Elisif another glass of the particular wine Elenwen had opened just for her.
"Oh yes! I can't remember the last time I've had this much fun. Everyone has such interesting stories to tell." Elisif gushed, accepting the glass of wine from the servant beside her.
"Indeed. Hosting these parties is part of my duties as Ambassador, but I enjoy them greatly. Do you like the wine? You won't find it anywhere else in Skyrim, Your Grace." Elenwen remarked, watching Elisif raise the glass to her lips.
"Oh, very much. I've never tasted such a fine vintage before. Where does it come from, if I may ask?" Elisif asked politely, already taking another drink from her glass.
"It comes from the vineyards outside the city of Dusk. The vintage is so sought-after that no amount of money can buy a bottle; they are only given as gifts to the most well-connected of Altmer families." Elenwen answered, again indulging her penchant for made-up details.
"It's that rare? Now I feel a little guilty." Elisif said slowly, lowering her glass.
"Don't feel that way, Your Grace. I had the bottle in my possession for some time, but I've never had a guest that was worthy of opening it for. Until you accepted my invitation, that is." Elenwen answered quickly.
"Really? And what is it about me that made you want to do that? Just because I'm the Jarl of Solitude?" Elisif asked with a shy smile, looking up at Elenwen.
Elenwen raised her eyebrows slightly before smiling back. The girl was clearly flirting with her. Aided, though Elisif was unaware, by the wine she was drinking. It was indeed a rare vintage. The Petals of Eyevea, as the vintage was called, had been altered by Altmer alchemists to lower inhibitions while leaving motor functions largely intact. The girl could drink a bucket of the stuff and not stumble once, even as she spilled her deepest secrets and declared her undying love for everyone around her. It was a simple though effective tool for loosening the lips of anyone targeted by Thalmor intelligence.
"No, not just because you're the Jarl of Solitude, Your Grace. I've heard rumors of the beauty of Elisif the Fair, and I wanted to see whether you were as lovely as people claimed." Elenwen answered with a fair amount of honesty.
"And am I?" Elisif asked with interest, raising her eyebrows.
"Even more so. If I may say so, were we not in the middle of a party, then I'm not certain whether I could restrain myself." Elenwen answered in a more intimate tone, glancing down at Elisif's barely-covered form.
"Really? That's a shame." Elisif said, giggling slightly.
The Nord girl drank in compliments as easily as wine, it seemed. Though it happened a little quicker than Elenwen had anticipated, Elisif was very much ready to be seduced. The young Jarl must have been lonelier than Elenwen had thought. That, or more open to the attention of another woman than her previous marriage to High King Torygg would suggest.
"I have a few items in my private collection that I've yet to show anyone. Perhaps you might like to see them?" Elenwen offered warmly, maintaining eye contact with the girl.
Elisif did not immediately answer. The Jarl was quiet for a few moments, though she continued to look up into Elenwen's eyes. Engaging in some harmless flirtation was one thing. But now her host was quite clearly inviting her upstairs for a tryst. Elisif's (strangely muted) sense of caution told her that she was moving way too quickly. But the truth was, Elisif loved the attention that Elenwen was giving her. It made her feel giddy in a way she hadn't felt since her husband had passed.
Being attracted to another woman (an Altmer, no less) was surprising to Elisif. She had never really considered the option before. Elisif had grown up knowing that she was betrothed to Torygg and never had the slightest intention of fooling around with someone else. That would have been ill-done. But her husband had passed, leaving Elisif alone ever since. Sexual desire had been sleeping within her for some time, but now it seemed to be waking up. So what was she to do? Elisif thought for a moment and then decided to answer honestly.
"I would love to." Elisif said finally, smiling at Elenwen.
Elenwen smiled back and turned to lead her upstairs. As Elisif walked alongside her host, she felt Elenwen rest a hand possessively on her lower back. Elisif drew a shaky breath, as the simple contact made her heart skip a beat. More embarrassingly, she felt her nipples harden immediately beneath the very thin layer of silk that was covering them. Having Elenwen (who, it appeared, noticed absolutely everything) fail to notice that was asking too much. Elisif could see where Elenwen's eyes were and felt her sense of giddiness mount.
This was almost certainly a mistake, but at the moment, it was a mistake that Elisif very, very much wanted to have happen.