"Sounds like it'll be a pleasant couple of days." Orina commented dryly. "Just the vacation I need."
At the mention of payment, the squirrel nodded. "A beast as experienced as you will of course be well compensated. Off the books, of course. I've kept several accounts well away from the prying eyes of other Ministries and the Empress. There will be no trail by which to find any of us financially."
She drummed her claws on the arm of her chair, gaze distant, thoughts chasing thoughts as she made her way through calculations and spiraling potentials of their plans. It was treason, yes, of such a kind her younger, idealistic self would have balked at. Even now, she knew some of the thrill she felt as their machinations coalesced was that part of herself, fearful of what it meant to stand up against the will of the Empress herself. Fear, however, was easily sublimated to focus, the energy useful fodder to propel her towards what she knew was the right path not just for her, but for the Imperium as a whole. Niceties had become powerful under Afton Kilaris, and under her it would reach the pinnacle of its potential--for had she not been much of the driving force behind what the Ministry had achieved in the latter portion of the last decade?
Smiling to herself, Orina sipped the last of her tea. Yes, this plan would work. Before the month was out, she would be the Minister of Niceties.
At the mention of payment, the squirrel nodded. "A beast as experienced as you will of course be well compensated. Off the books, of course. I've kept several accounts well away from the prying eyes of other Ministries and the Empress. There will be no trail by which to find any of us financially."
She drummed her claws on the arm of her chair, gaze distant, thoughts chasing thoughts as she made her way through calculations and spiraling potentials of their plans. It was treason, yes, of such a kind her younger, idealistic self would have balked at. Even now, she knew some of the thrill she felt as their machinations coalesced was that part of herself, fearful of what it meant to stand up against the will of the Empress herself. Fear, however, was easily sublimated to focus, the energy useful fodder to propel her towards what she knew was the right path not just for her, but for the Imperium as a whole. Niceties had become powerful under Afton Kilaris, and under her it would reach the pinnacle of its potential--for had she not been much of the driving force behind what the Ministry had achieved in the latter portion of the last decade?
Smiling to herself, Orina sipped the last of her tea. Yes, this plan would work. Before the month was out, she would be the Minister of Niceties.
