VOTING ON THE HOST OF THE 2017 ESQUARIAN SUMMIT (IN PROGRESS)
KALNASPILIS, AUCURIA: 9
BETHLEHEM, LUZIYCA: 7OKTOSIS, PAVONISTADE: 0
GERMANIA, TEUTONIA: 3
HWANGGUM, TOKSAN : 2
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Xiangmen, Minjian
October 1
9:00 am
Weather-wise, it was not a great day for a summit.
Autumn had long begun in the Namorese calendar, but few braving past the sweltering heat of Namor's southernmost metropolis could notice. As early as seven in the morning, the temperature had climbed to 34 degrees Centigrade (93.2 degrees Fahrenheit), forcing many in their homes. The City of Incense is experiencing its late summer, early autumn heat wave. Heat waves have never been a rarity in Namor, but there's no doubt that they've become more common, showing no sign of receding into the record books.
But if anyone's silently enjoying the heat, it's Li Jiading, the first left-wing president of Minjian in decades. When he was first notified by Namo that Xiangmen will host the third summit of Esquarian leaders, he panicked about everything and anything that can go wrong in a summit, from anarchists overrunning buildings to a typhoon consuming the place. To make sure the reputation of his city (and himself) doesn't go down in flames, he had ordered the Regional Security Forces to close the capital's business district from the public, relocating thousands of residents in the process. In the days leading up to the summit, police and dogs patrolled the streets in preparation of the unexpected. All protesters were led to Democracy Square, located blocks away from the Minjian Regional Convention Center where most of the summit will be held.
Now, he is standing besides Prime Minister and political archrival Hua Jingyi, in addition to the most powerful person in Namor - as they awaited the arrival of their distinguished guests.
The three figures stood on a red carpet that connected the main entrance of the Minjian Regional Convention Center and a long driveway from which all guests would disembark. Cameras of every news outlet imaginable were fixed on them, from PTH to Minjianese television to Katranjian television.
The President-General, who stood in the middle, noticed that Li and Hua were not talking to each other. He thought of something that can start a conversation.
"So," he began in Standard Namorese, "is it always hot like this?"
"Euh...not this hot," replied Li nervously before Hua could respond. "But I actually like it."
"How so?" The President-General frowned.
"Because the protesters, they don't like the heat either, so they're probably stuck at home watching us on television instead of...you know..." Li trailed off.
The President-General smiled and then laughed. He is a man of fickle emotions - one minute he is all seriousness, the next he is sharing a joke with his colleagues. It's no wonder why some in the Central Council had called him "Summer Weather Shohai" before he took office.
"That's ok, Jiading," he went on, calling the President by his Minjianese given name. "I don't like protesters, either. Er..." he tried to remember a phrase he had learned in Minjianese, and finally got it out. "Ta men hao ma fan."
It was Li's turn to laugh, and the President-General laughed along. On the other side, Hua cracked a smile, but she was too nervous to laugh. This is an international summit, after all.
The first limousine showed up, and the President-General quickly rescinded his smile in favor of the grin he had learned to put on his face whenever he is about to greet someone important - what they call a "politician's smile." Whoever walked out of the limousine would shake the hands of all three before proceeding to enter the conference room.
Seeing that Summer Weather Shohai had returned to seriousness, Li and Hua followed suit and looked straight ahead.