Third Esquarian Summit [Esquarium Only | IC]

[Namor]

VOTING ON THE HOST OF THE 2017 ESQUARIAN SUMMIT (IN PROGRESS)

KALNASPILIS, AUCURIA: 9
BETHLEHEM, LUZIYCA: 7
OKTOSIS, PAVONISTADE: 0
GERMANIA, TEUTONIA: 3
HWANGGUM, TOKSAN : 2

NOTE: If you are neither on this list nor from Esquarium, DO NOT POST HERE.

OOC Thread (+ schedule) | VENUES

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Xiangmen, Minjian
October 1
9:00 am

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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.

[Tuthina]

The first to emerge from the limousine was not one of the delegates for the Third Summit, but rather the retainer of one. He appeared to be a man in his prime, with a relatively dark complexion and a towering physique. Perhaps a soldier or a bodyguard by trade, the man appeared to have given a slight nod to the watching Namorese before stepping out of the vehicle. Quiet and otherwise not expressing significant emotions, he simply stood by the door of the limousine, holding it open for his superior as the actual representative emerged from the compartment as well.

According to estimations and suggestions from official documents, the female was probably around her middle age. However, perhaps due to a combination of careful care to her appearance, as well as the fact that her status as a royalty, a Regent and Grand Princess of the Empire, meant she did not have to concern herself with earthly duty such as making a living, she looked quite younger and refined than average female of her age. Despite her coming from the Most Serene Empire - a polity that was most (in)famous for its focus on preserving its own heritage and ancient birthright - she had decided to don herself in a cosmopolitan business suit like the vast majority of the rest of the delegates. Similarly, her long, black hair was also tied into a simple ponytail without the use of the elaborate hair decorations that most Tuthinan nobles would use. The only sign of something from a traditionalist country, might be the small necklace she wore on her neck, with a small, but undoubtedly high-quality jade piece in the shape of some stylised fauna or flora. All in all, she was dressed quite similar to her foreign counterpart, something that could be a surprise for the welcoming individuals.

Once she fully emerged from the vehicle, she slightly turned towards her retainer and gave him a smiling nod, before proceeding towards the red carpet to the waiting Namorese. The retainer, seemingly focusing solely on his role, gave a small nod in return before turning his gaze towards other assistants that would be present to assist the Regent in the upcoming summit. Once the delegate made her way before the Namorese, she delivered a small bow and nod towards them, before greeting them individually by name. She appeared to be quite fluent in the Namorese tongue, although perhaps a an influence from the more-conservative Literary Tuthinan language, her pattern of speech might sound somewhat more archaic at times for most Namorese, one that was more often heard in period piece from aristocrats of the old than anywhere else.

"As the Regent of the Most Serene Empire, it is my greatest honour and pleasure to be invited to your land. As informed earlier, I shall be the representative to the Emperor Incumbent and His empire for the Third Summit. You may call me Rinka." As she introduced herself in a proper, if not a bit too-proper way to the host, she also greeted them with a traditional gesture, one that they probably could tell as something that the ancient Namorese observed as a proper greeting gesture in the past, but not much more detail about it. This, combined with the fact that she chose to identify herself with her courtesy name first, showed that despite the suit wrapped around her body, inside it she was undoubtedly a product of the hermit kingdom she belonged to.

[Pavonistade]

At the driveway of the Minjian Regional Convention Center, another limousine was caught in sight. The vehicle fuelled by hybrid engines was soon to come to a complete rest in front of the vast venue. Without doubt that limousine was carrying a national leader from abroad.

Out stepped a man dressed in an obviously-formal manner. With the most noticeable features being a notch lapel suit, flat front pants and a solid red tie (the former two clothing in black), he was capable of exemplifying himself as one of the important members of the upcoming conference. As for the man himself, he was clearly middle aged. With rather-dark blonde hair beginning to grey and a stern face showing little but progressive signs of wrinkling, he would look to be older than the Regent of the Most Serene Empire, and may possibly be older than the President-General of Namor.

That man was the President of the Pavonistadian Provinces. President Yksteldehs Oppenheim, that is.

After allowing the Namorese leaders to greet with the Regent of the Most Serene Empire, the President marched along the red carpet to present himself. "Greetings," President Oppenheim spoke as he faced the three Namorese, "I am Yksteldehs Oppenheim, the President of Pavonistade, and I offer sincere gratitudes to you for receiving me."

[Luziyca]

Soon after, the next limousine arrived: this time, carrying the Luziycan delegation.

President Sera Svensson opened the door, and soon enough emerged from the vehicle. She was well dressed, wearing a beautiful white dress, with black trousers. She looked older than Anteko, and she had a noticeable limp from her assassination attempt just days after she took office.

Once Svensson was fully emerged, she walked towards the trio: the Minjianese President Li Jiading, Prime Minister Hua Jingyi, and of course, President-General Shohai Antelope.

As she approached Shohai, Li, and Hua, she said to Li and Hua, "I am quite thankful to be invited to this beautiful city of Xiangmen to attend the Esquarian Summit. I have high hopes that this summit will be productive." She then gave the politician's handshake and moved onto the next.

When she finally approached President-General Shohai, she then said, "Your excellency, I thank you for organizing the Esquarian Summit, and for inviting our country. I have high hopes that this summit will be a success in at least discussing the issues that currently face Esquarium." With a smile and a nod, she then gave a politician's handshake to Shohai Antelope.

[Union of Akoren]

As Qassem Akbari surveyed the urban sprawl of Minjian, he smiled; this was the first time Ankoren had been invited to such a global summit and was now a permanent member of the summit process. A great honour and responsibility he thought. As the cavalcade approached the Regional Convention Centre, Akbari's chief of staff, Sajid Kashani's phone rang, Akbari and his guest, the Foreign Ministry's "Chief Secretary of International Affairs", Aslan Bolat turned their heads swiftly to investigate.

"Yes sir, he's here" the aid passed the phone directly to the Prime Minister.

"The State President sir" he reported. Akbari sighed and took the phone.

"Yes Mr. State President?" Akbari asked politely.

"Are you up to this?" State President Volkan asked.

"As ready as God permits" Akbari replied, turning his gaze once more to Minjian.

"Good, know that I and the entire nation are there with you Qassem and watch out for that Aininian woman" the State President said reassuringly.

"I know Evren, I'll keep you updated daily and enjoy the weekend with the grandchildren" Akbari replied, hanging up as he finished.

"God above, he worries" Akbari bemoaned, receiving no response from the others in the car - best no comment on the State President of the Union.

The car swiftly drew up behind Svensson's, as she greeted the Namorese, Akbari smiled at his companions. The driver swiftly exited the car, rushing round to his side and opening the door the Prime Minister.

Dressed in his brown robes, with the collarless jacket and shirt underneath, his white turban making him easily distinguishable as the only Muslim present at the summit. He patted down his front and began to walk towards the Namorese.

As once as he stood before the trio: the Minjianese President Li Jiading, Prime Minister Hua Jingyi, and President-General Shohai Antelope.

He looked at all three with a big smile and said "On behalf of the Union of Ankoren and its people, I thank you for the invitation to this truly historical event, I am positive that we shall all cooperate in good faith and make ground breaking solutions to our world's problems" shaking hands with Li and Hua.

He took a step closer to Shohai, extending his hand, "I thank you especially Mr. President General on behalf of myself and the State President for your gracious invitation, it is an absolute honour and pleasure to be here and I look forward to working with you over the next few days".

[Lyonsland]

The Ankoreni Prime Minister's limousine was followed by another one, this time with rather cliché plastic Lyonese flags atop the bonnet of the limo. This made everyone aware of the arrival of Lyonsland's Prime Minister, Johanna Carl. Ever since her government came to power in 2014, she has been noted by foreign press as being one of the more glamorous world leaders, always in the public eye dressed in designer outfits, whether it's at a summit like this or even a regular session of parliament. Carl has had a lot to deal with in the past few months alone, after having to help the country following the 3/6 attacks as well as the highly militarised state of Nordania following said attacks. Both were also a major factor in Lyonsland's protests over the continued inclusion of Teutonia at the table.

As the limousine pulled up to the entrance, a Lyonese security guard, one of a built-physique, appeared from the passenger's seat of the car and then walked to the backseat door, escorting Carl out of the car. Carl was looking as glamorous as ever, wearing a faux leopard print dress. Alongside her was Lucass Urell, the Foreign Minister, dressed in the standard black suit. The sheer heat was clearly affecting them, a stark contrast from the temperate to subarctic temperatures of the High Kingdom where 20 degrees Celsius would be considered a heatwave.

The pair set afoot on the red carpet and began walking towards Jiading, Jingyi and Antelope. As they reached the pair, they individually began greeting the trio. "Good afternoon, gentlemen", Carl began casually. "We would like to thank you all for being invited to this summit. Here's to a productive summit!"

[Pisdara]

Staring at the empty seat in front of him, Jean-Claude Herve Bouchard was nervous. This was Pisdara's first real international summit as an independent nation, under the invitation of the Arkiasian government. And what a time for the international community to discuss the island-state! One of Herve Bouchard's co-Speakers was dying in a foreign country, public trust in the government was slowly declining due to deadlock in the Legislature, and he himself was less then twenty-four hours ago in Ashuragar shaking hands with party leaders and united the Pisdari centre-right, a decision that no one yet had time to react to. "Maybe showing a good image to the Namorese will fix things in the short term." The wondering Speaker thought. "That's it, just have to please the others".

Looking out his limousine's tinted window, he noticed another limo, with small Ankoreni flags on the grill, driving the opposite way. "Shit. Akbari's there." Herve Bouchard slowly began remembering the fights with co-Speaker Kabari over the formerly elusive Nauatasian giant that has, for some reason or another, taken a liking to cozying up to Pisdara. Herve Bouchard was one of the more vocal critics for this, thinking that Ankoren simply wanted to have an ally and (Herve Bouchard thought) a possible satellite state. The Speaker thought if this, and having to speaking with the Ankoreni Prime Minister, and mentally shivered.

"Sir," said the chauffer, "We're here."

"Thank you." Herve Bouchard replied, before exited the limousine. Greeted by a red carpet, press, and three smiling Namorese politicians at the end, including the President-General. Walking up to them, the man representing 28,000 Pisdaris for the first time internationally shook the President-General's hand. "I am Jean-Cluade Herve Bouchard, Speaker and Head of the Committee on Security and Foreign Affair for Pisdara, and I am incredibly grateful for your invitation. I hope we can discuss mutual interests while I'm here in your beautiful country."

[FreYhill]

After Toksan One landed at Xiangmen Shabi International Airport, Lundgren was quickly prompted into a limousine to arrive at the Convention Center. After the Limousine had scrambled into action, the Freyhillians began to talk;

“Mr Prime Minister, the Republicans are winning the Campaign back at the Commonwealth.”

Lundgren, who was tired from his late night flight to Namor, was clearly agitated towards the news, with the leader known as the front head of the Constitutional Monarchist Campaign for the upcoming Republican Elections on October 1. Quietly, Lundgren began to talk: “Make sure the Commonwealth Government's constituency plans aren’t released, and contact Goldglass to set me up with Won.”

Minutes Later, Foreign Minister Won Chi Hun was on the Chief of Staff’s Secure Dial, speaking in a somewhat relaxed accent, Won began to talk into the line; “Good Morning Mats, I’ve emailed Chang (Lundgren’s Chief of Staff) your agenda for the Summit.”

“Excellent Chi Hun, I need you to contact the Constitutional Monarchists and put them into action- we must ensure that this race is tight”.

“Right-e-o Prime Minister, I’ll see you when you arrive back at Goldglass later this week”.

After Prime Minister Lundgren was finished talking with his Foreign Minister, the Freyhillian Delegation’s Limousine had arrived at the Convention Center where the Summit would be held. After Pisdara’s Foreign Minister had entered the Center and her Limousine had moved, Lundgren was slowly moved before the entrance of the building.

“One Moment, Prime Minister.” Lundgren’s International Guard from the Commonwealth Embassy in Namor prompted whilst getting out of the car. Moments Later, he opened the door open and prompted the most powerful figure within the Commonwealth to walk out.

Walking onto a Red Carpet that was rolled out for the World’s Leaders, Lundgren continued to walk up to President Antelope and two other figures that the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth was yet to learn.

“Good Morning President Antelope. I’m Prime Minister Mats Lundgren of the Commonwealth of Freyhill. It’s a great pleasure to be at Namor and it is an Honour to be invited as Namor’s guest.”

((EDIT: I forgot to describe what Lundgren was wearing, Here is the outfit: http://www.ralphlauren.com/product/index.jsp?productId=100511366&cp=1766205.1788083.58264466&ab=ln_men_cs_suits&parentPage=family))

[Namor]

"The woman walking your way is the Regent of Tuthina," an aide muttered as he stood by President-General Antelope's side.

The President-General nodded and looked at the first guest. He felt startled by the Regent's business suit, as he had always imagined that the Tuthinans stubbornly wear their traditional...costumes, put it frankly, everywhere they go. Figuring that the Tuthinan was merely trying to fit in a predominantly non-Monic crowd of world leaders, President-General Antelope managed to suppress the surprise from showing on his face and kept the politician's smile of his as the Regent stopped walking and presented herself before him and the two Minjianese.

"As the Regent of the Most Serene Empire, it is my greatest honour and pleasure to be invited to your land. As informed earlier, I shall be the representative to the Emperor Incumbent and His empire for the Third Summit. You may call me Rinka," the Regent said in slightly broken but intelligible Namorese. She then bowed - a move that caught the President-General by surprise as he was about to extend a hand.

Awkwardly, the President-General rescinded his hand and nodded his head. To compensate, he widened his diplomatic grin to a smile, revealing his teeth. "Welcome to Namor," he said. "I hope your flight wasn't too stressful."

Seeing that camera lights were already flashing, the President-General extended his arm towards the crowd of reporters, signaling a picture with the Regent and both Minjianese leaders. The four faced the cameras, with the President-General trying not to blink. Seconds later, he turned away and showed the Regent the entrance to the Convention Center, inviting her to step inside as he greets more guests. After that was done, he turned back towards the direction of the next limousine.

"Next, we have...the President of Pavonistade, Mr. Yksteldehs Oppenheim," introduced the aide. By then, the president was already making his way towards the hosts.

"Greetings. I am Yksteldehs Oppenheim, the President of Pavonistade, and I offer sincere gratitudes to you for receiving me."

"President Oppenheim, it is a pleasure to see you here in Xiangmen," the President-General said as he shook the hand of the second guest. "Pavonistade's participation in the Esquarian Summit is integral to constructive talks regarding the region's future. I look forward to a fruitful exchange." He invited Oppenheim to face the cameras before sending him off to the Convention Center entrance and smiling at the next limousine.

"President of Luziyca, Mrs. Sera Svensson."

His smile faded. For a split second, the President-General's lips were straight, showing neither pleasure nor displeasure, but as soon as a figure wearing a white dress exited the limousine - and camera lights started flashing incessantly - a weak grin emerged. He understood that this is the first time he will shake the hand of the leader of Namor's ages-long traditional enemy. How he greets the self-styled "leader of the free world" will determine whether his promise of stable cross-barrier relations is genuine. At the same time, he didn't want to anger the ultranationalists, many of whom registered their distrust of détente by casting their votes for him.

"Your excellency, I thank you for organizing the Esquarian Summit, and for inviting our country. I have high hopes that this summit will be a success in at least discussing the issues that currently face Esquarium," started the Luziycan President.

The President-General returned the courtesy with a laconic "I hope so as well." He wanted to correct Svensson on one thing - as a permanent attendant in the Esquarian Summit, Luziyca wasn't invited by any other country. But for the sake of not causing controversy, the President-General beckoned Svensson to face the cameras before Svensson entered the Convention Center. As he turned back, the President-General hoped he had not set a particular mood for the summit - at least not yet.

"Mr. Qassem Akbari, Prime Minister of Ankoren," the aide introduced as an aged man wearing Islamic robes made himself visible after emerging from the limousine. The man greeted President Li and Prime Minister Hua before extending a hand to the President-General, who took it at first sight.

"I thank you especially Mr. President General on behalf of myself and the State President for your gracious invitation, it is an absolute honour and pleasure to be here and I look forward to working with you over the next few days," Prime Minister Akbari said.

"The honor and pleasure are all mine, Mr. Prime Minister," the President-General responded. "I hope the flight to Xiangmen wasn't bumpy. I know it's especially hard to catch a flight here, especially from Nautasia." He, Akbari, Li and Hua took a group picture, and then Akbari made his way to the Convention Center entrance.

"Mrs. Johanna Carl, Prime Minister of Lyonsland."

The President-General wasn't paying attention to the aide, as he was attracted by the Lyonese prime minister and her dress. He could have wondered whether the dress came as a result of illegal poaching, but the glamor made that very much impossible. He shifted his eyeballs from right to left, then up and down, to avoid impressions that he was checking anyone out.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," Carl said. "We would like to thank you all for being invited to this summit. Here's to a productive summit!"

Standing in the sidelines, Prime Minister Hua was a bit offended, as she was certainly not a gentleman. But she didn't want to appear visibly pissed, so she kept a smile as she shook the Prime Minister's hand after Li did the same.

"Mrs. Prime Minister, it is my pleasure to see you here. I hope your country - and the rest of Nordania - is recovering," the President-General said, reiterating the government's condolences following the deadly terror attacks in Ettsten and elsewhere in Nordania. Before long, the four had faced the cameras and Carl left for the Convention Center as the President-General faced the next guest.

"Jean-Cluade Herve Bouchard, Speaker of Pisdara."

Behind his smile that awaited the Pisdari leader, President-General Antelope was a little confused. He didn't know why Pisdara would send the leader of its legislature to an international summit. Better yet, he didn't know why Arkiasis invited Pisdara in the first place. Can anyone even find Pisdara on a map? As these questions twirled in his head, the President-General figured that there are some things about Pisdara he isn't familiar with. Maybe Pisdara's speaker is its leader, and maybe there is a reason behind Pisdara's attendance. Whatever the reason, the President-General did not reveal his inner feelings as the Speaker extended a hand.

"I am Jean-Cluade Herve Bouchard, Speaker and Head of the Committee on Security and Foreign Affair for Pisdara, and I am incredibly grateful for your invitation. I hope we can discuss mutual interests while I'm here in your beautiful country," the Speaker began.

"Welcome to Namor, Mr. Speaker. I am really excited to see you here in Xiangmen," the President-General responded. "And yes, I also hope that during your time here we can discuss how to develop Namo-Pisdari relations, a significant component of Namor's relations with the Nautasian continent." He beckoned Herve Bouchard, Li and Hua to face the cameras. Seconds of flashes passed before the President-General pointed towards the Convention Center and the Speaker walked away.

"Mr. Mats Lundgren, Prime Minister of Freyhill."

The President-General thought he was greeting an actor as a relatively young man exited the limousine. He suppressed that thought as he reminded himself that, like the handshake with Svensson, this is also significant, albeit to a lesser extent, as it is the first meeting between the Namorese and Freyhillian leaders. At a time when the administration no longer views relations with Luziyca as important as they once were, the President-General hoped to develop closer ties with Freyhill and other Far Eastern countries so he can show the world his diplomatic side.

“Good Morning President Antelope. I’m Prime Minister Mats Lundgren of the Commonwealth of Freyhill. It’s a great pleasure to be at Namor and it is an Honour to be invited as Namor’s guest."

At least he got it right, thought the President-General in regards to Lundgren's acknowledgement of Namor's invitation, unlike Svensson's insignificant yet noticeable error.

He shook Lundgren's hand with a wide smile.

"Prime Minister Lundgren, welcome to Namor. The pleasure is mine to see a Freyhillian leader touch ground in Xiangmen to discuss important issues with the rest of the international community. I am looking forward to talks regarding mutual interests later on in the day," he said, referring to a bilateral meeting between him and Lundgren after the summit adjourns in the late afternoon.

After Lundgren had faced the cameras and made his way to the Convention Center, the President-General turned to greet the next guest.

[Xiaodong]

Xi Yao-tong, the First Minister of Xiaodong casually observed the skyline of Xiangmen as his limousine made its way to the international summit. He could barely suppress a feeling of self-importance - he would be the first Xiao invitee to an Esquarian Summit and thus be placed in a position to raise its rather unknown international profile. Of course, the fact that Xiaodong's major ally and benefactor Tuthina had invited it and that Xi himself was very much a secondary player in not just in international relations but domestic Xiao politics was to be overlooked - the very fact that Xiaodong would be in the presence of great powers would be a boost to Xiaodong's prestige domestically. And for Xi, who within Xiaodong maintained a low profile compared to his authoritative predecessor, his presence would strengthen his own position in Xiaodong.

"Mr First Minister, we have arrived."

Xi nodded in acknowledgement as he straightened the flag pin attached to his nondescript black suit and smoothed his sculpted black side parting. He smiled widely as the limousine opened to the flash of cameras, before being followed out by the junior Minister of International Affairs, Mao Husheng and his permanent translator Zhu Xitong. He approached three hosts of the summit - Shohai Antelope, Li Jiading and Hua Jingyi - before making a short bow.

"Greetings, your excellency President-General" he said as Zhu hurriedly translated his words into Namorese, "I am Xi Yao-tong, and would like to say on behalf of the Auspicious Republic of Xiaodong that I and my countrymen are honoured to be hosted by your great country". He gave another short bow.

[Arkiasis]

The 10 second journey from the airplane to the limousine was enough to make Troy Brown sweat in the sweltering 34°C temperature. Back home Arkiasis was also experiencing a heatwave, well as much of a heatwave is possible for a northern country. Aspatria experienced 9 straight days of temperatures over 30° back in August, drought conditions caused wheat production to drop 20% and more than 500 heat related deaths were reported in Arkiasis, the majority of them being the elderly. As much as Brown wanted to dress in shorts, a t-shirt and flip-flops. This was business, and Brown dressed in the usual conservative black suit with a blue tie. Nothing out of the usual. "At least there's a slight breeze today." Brown joked to his colleagues next to him.

Any temperature over 25° is considered above average and would make any Arkiasian complain. But over 30°? That's officially considered hell. Over 35°? Doesn't happen. Well actually, it happened on two days in August. Aspartia set a record temperature on 11 August at 37.1°. Most Arkiasian homes are not equipped with air conditioning, it has simply never been required. But the world is changing, and Troy Brown hopes to bring conversation and agreement to the issue of climate change... if he can even get to it. Nordania has been gripped with instability and uncertainty following the 3 June attacks. Being in the same room as the Teutonian dictator is enough to make Brown nervous, Brown has never even met the Teutonian leader before. But with the complete lack of dialogue between Nordanian nations in the past few months, this could prove to be the perfect venue to discuss a plan for peace in Nordania, or watch it all fall apart before his eyes.

That's before Brown could think of the Caliphate and the migrant crisis in Nautasia. The admittance of nearly 200,000 refugees from Nautasia into Arkiasis has been meet with immense controversy. Brown defends his position, ever so unpopular it continues to become in Arkiasis. The Caliphate show now signs of slowing down as millions upon millions of people get displaced from the homes and millions die from the numerous civil wars in the area.

Before Brown could finish going over his notes, essentially a large list of how the region is falling apart, the air conditioned hybrid limousine pulled up to the convention centre, a large modern facility in the cities financial district, surrounded by numerous other glass towers with dozens more under construction. Just 20 years ago none of these buildings existed. The Namorese economic miracle shows no signs of slowing down.

Brown stepped back out into the sweltering heat, even the awning at the entrance of the convention centre did little to provide shelter from the heat. Brown walked over the three, time to put on your business face, as Arkiasians usually do. "Troy Brown. Prime Minister of Arkiasis. Very nice to meet you Mr. President." as he shook Li Jiading's hand, with Brown's translator standing next to him, Brown repeated the same words to both Hua Jingyl and Shohai Antelope before stepping aside, "At least there's a slight breeze today." Brown joked to the three before moving on the air-conditioned shelter of the Convention center. "How the hell do they stand outside in that heat?" Brown thought to himself before reminding himself, "Right, business".

[North Daecon]

Sitting in the limousine that was just arriving behind the Freyhillian one, Prime Minister of Daecon Timothy Harris was looking out the window of the limo, observing the sights and streets of Xiangmen, while Foreign Affairs Minister Kieran Brackman and two Daeconese Federal Army soldiers as bodyguards (because all federal matters were dealt with by the army) were also in the limo, preparing for the summit ahead. This is his second international summit that he had attended, including the previous one in Sakan, back in more peaceful times. Tuthina, who is now an ideological and political enemy due to the fact that they are very suspicious of Freyhill is reaching out to Daecon for economic and political independence and the activation of the Hollowood Doctrine (in particular the anti-monarchical section), has been confirmed to have sent representatives to the summit, in this case is the Regent of Tuthina, Anteko, the elder sister of Emperor Akiyasu himself. This worried Harris for two reasons. One, because the regent has certainly discussed the Daeconese connection with the damn Emperor and his royal court and second, she would probably identify him too. His fears may be unfounded, but are certainly fears not to be taken as a joke.

As those thoughts tried to dominate his head and mental capacity, Harris pushed it out of his head and tried to deal with the elephant in the room.

"So, it seems that two thirds of the Iron Pact are arriving here in Xiangmen." Harris said to Brackman. "Ulrich and Ohanka are going to be present, and it is going to be very awkward indeed." Brackam just nodded his head in agreement and replied, "I am sure they would probably stay away, since they managed to keep their dictatorship alive for god knows how many years." Brackman stated. "Also, Tuomas will be present as well, so that is going to be strange considering his government basically practices national racism."

"I guess I will probably avoid him then." Harris stated, in a laconic and understating tone. Harris was dressed in the standard suit, jacket, blue tie and pants and Brackman was dressed in a more relaxed sense of fashion consisting of dress pants and shirt, but with no jacket or tie. People would probably pass it for the weather anyway.

Once the limo reached the entrance of the large convention center, the two DFA soldiers got out and opened the back door of the limo for both Harris and Brackman and both of them exited the limo, walking down the isle while Harris was prepping himself to meet the trio of hosts, Li, Hua and the President-General of Namor himself, Shohai Antelope. Harris, Brackman and the two soldiers walked towards the trio and greeted them with the handshake of greetings for all three

"Greetings to you, President-General Antelope, President Li and Prime Minister Hua." Harris spoke diplomatically to the trio. "I am Timothy Harris, Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Daecon. I will gladly accept the invitation to be present at the summit, and I look forward to what we will discuss." Harris then did another more professional handshake to Shohai, then the four moved into the convention centre, ready to do business.

[Namor]

"The man walking towards you now is the First Minister of Xiaodong, Mr. Xi Yaotong."

Once the third Monic leader of the day approached the President-General, Li and Hua, he bowed - similar to how Rinka of Tuthina bowed before. Once again, the President-General bowed before shaking Xi's hand.

"Greetings, your excellency President-General. I am Xi Yao-tong, and would like to say on behalf of the Auspicious Republic of Xiaodong that I and my countrymen are honoured to be hosted by your great country," the First Minister said as an interpreter quickly translated his words to Namorese - although it wasn't really necessary in the eyes of Li and Hua since they were native speakers of Minjianese.

"It is my honor to see you here, Mr. First Minister. Please, make yourself comfortable in the Convention Center," the President-General replied before beckoning Xi to face the cameras for a picture. Then, he showed Xi the way to the Convention Center entrance. "Please."

"Mr. Troy Brown, Prime Minister of Arkiasis," the aide continued.

"Very nice to meet you as well, Mr. Prime Minister," President-General told Prime Minister Brown as soon as the latter finished presenting his credentials in front of the hosts.

After he invited the Arkiasian prime minister to a picture, the prime minister remarked, "At least there's a slight breeze today."

"You should come to our country in July and say that again," the President-General said before he laughed, patting the prime minister on the back as he departed for the Convention Center entrance.

"Who's next?" he asked the aide as the next limousine pulled up.

"Mr. Timothy Harris, Prime Minister of Daecon."

"He looks like a civilian ruler of a military dictatorship," Prime Minister Hua muttered in Minjianese as the prime minister made his way to the hosts. "Look at the soldiers marching with him." But from the looks of the President-General, it didn't seem as if he noticed.

"Greetings to you, President-General Antelope, President Li and Prime Minister Hua. I am Timothy Harris, Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Daecon. I will gladly accept the invitation to be present at the summit, and I look forward to what we will discuss."

"It is my pleasure to see you here, Mr. Prime Minister, and I too hope that this summit will be constructive," replied the President-General as he shook the prime minister's hand. After everyone faced the cameras for a few seconds, the President-General shook the prime minister's hand again before sending him off to the Convention Center.

He faced the aide. "So, is everyone here?"

"We are still waiting on a few attendants, although yes, most are here," the aide replied. "Most notably, we are waiting on the Prime Minister of Ainin, the supreme leaders of Koyro and Teutonia and the president of the Esquarian Community."

Inside himself, the President-General groaned. As the minutes progressed, the heat was only getting worse and worse. Earlier, he had heard that the temperature may continue to climb to as high as 37 degrees by noon. Hopefully everyone will have showed up by then, because I'm going to melt, the President-General thought. And I've been living in the subtropics my entire life.

[Aucuria]

Pantaleimonas Uspelevičius was distinctly uneasy as the limousine cruised through downtown Xiangmen. Aucuria's president, elected in a recall election only nine months ago, had been invited to Xiangmen by Luziyca's Sera Svensson- a massive honor for Uspelevičius and a great opportunity for Aucuria, a small nation known mostly for its agriculture- to have some small impact on the world stage. Even then, Aucuria was not the smallest nation in attendance- they were far more populous and far larger than the island nation of Pisdara, invited by Arkiasis- but Aucuria was still a minor player in a conference whose attendance list included Luziyca's Svennson, Ainin's de Lotbiniere, Vjaarland's Adlerberg, Nevanmaa's Hyvärinen, and of course Namor's Antelope. Even the leaders of the three most powerful nations in the reclusive, autarkic Iron Pact had been invited. Aucuria was wholly out of its league.

Things had not gotten off to a good start for the Aucurians, further compounding the president's unease. Bendiktas Artemaitis, Aucuria's foreign minister, had fallen ill with pneumonia, and his deputy was off in Lecistan for a meeting with the new Solidarity government there; as a result, only Aucuria's defense minister- Judė Alduris- was with him. His other ministers had given him a variety of proposals- Economics Minister Petraitytė and Labor Minister Ilgauskas had both given him conflicting trade proposals to make on the side, and Environmental Minister Piečoniskaitė had given him a 359-page report on environmental issues- but Uspelevičius was still missing a potentially critical advisor at a global summit.

Worst of all, it was hot. Aucuria was a cool country; eighty degrees Fahrenheit was considered a heat wave during the summer, and the country was consistently blanketed with snow during the winter. It had been fifty degrees in Kalnaspils when Uspelevičius and Alduris left; it was more than ninety degrees here. Even worse, it was a thick, oppressive, humid heat, one that prevented sweat from evaporating off of the collars of men in black suits. The heat felt like a malaise, one that would affect the Aucurians for sure and quite possibly the summit as well.

Seeking to alleviate his nervousness, Uspelevičius fussed with his tie- a deep, dark ruby red, the color of his Labor Party, with a simple silver tie bar. Alduris glanced over. His tie was blue with thin white stripes. "President, your tie is fine," Alduris stated bluntly. Privately, though, Alduris nursed his own unease, most of it focused on the invitation extended to Teutonia's Friedrich Ulrich. Alduris- a member of Aucuria's Jewish community, known as the Aukurish- was understandably leery over the presence of a neo-Nazi dictator at a diplomatic event.

"Sorry, Minister. Nervous habit," the president responded. "The stakes are high, to say the least." Alduris nodded. "That is true. But putting ourselves on edge won't help," he responded. "We have to remain focused." Uspelevičius nodded. "I know." He sighed and turned his head towards the window. "I think we're getting close to the conference location," he told Alduris. Alduris nodded silently, briefly straightening a flag pin on his jacket.

After arriving at the Minjian Regional Convention Center, Uspelevičius and Alduris stepped out of the limousine and back into the sweltering summer heat. The pair approached the Namorese delegation, with Alduris walking a few steps behind Uspelevičius. Uspelevičius dipped his head in greeting to President-General Antelope and his entourage, offering a smile and his hand to the Namorese leader. "Labas dienas*," he began, smiling warmly to hide his nerves. He spoke in Aucurian; he knew no Namorese, wasn't sure Antelope spoke Atlian or Luziycan, and was willing to assume the President-General's entourage contained a translator. "I'm President Pantaleimonas Uspelevičius of Aucuria. This is my defense minister, Judė Alduris; my foreign minister wishes he could be here, but has taken ill. He sends his regards. Let me simply say, President-General Antelope, President Li, Prime Minister Hua, it is an immense honor to be invited to this-" he paused for a fraction of a second- "beautiful city, and to this summit. I hope that we can work together and with the other attendees to solve the issues facing Esquarium."

---

* Labas dienas is an Aucurian greeting translating to "good day" in English.

[Nevamaa]

Two black limos cruising across Xiangmen city center each had different flags attached to the hood. One of them was the familiar blue cross flag, defaced with a large coat of arms: the personal standard of the Prime Minister. The other one, quite unexpectedly, did not feature the blue royal standard of the Nevan King. Instead, it featured a quartered blue-red emblem with a lion and a suit of armor: the standard of the Crown Prince.

King Juhani had unexpectedly fallen ill, and Crown Prince Nikolas had to cancel his other plans to attend the summit on behalf of the King. Though he had attended similar events before, this was the first time that he carried the authority of the King; he had the power to sign or not to sign anything on behalf of the King. The responsibility worried him. He had been trained for this for his entire life and the summit itself was not really that important, but something nevertheless worried him.

When the limos finally stopped in front of the conference center, the Crown Prince's adjutants opened the door and Nikolas stepped out. He was soon followed by the Prime Minister. He was jealous of Hyvärinen and most of the other delegates who simply wore a suit and a tie; he himsef wore a heavy, black, and uncomfortably hot uniform of a Royal Nevan Navy commodore, complete with heavy metal epaulettes and a large bicorne. "I tell you Tuomas, if that building doesn't have proper air conditioning then Katariina might soon be the heir apparent of two countries instead of one" noted, as they walked into the building.

[Sardeed]

[REMOVED - Due to misunderstanding - apologies]

[Montecara]

Odeta Luciàn and Everàrd Torsièl sat together in the back of the limousine as it lurched through Xiangmen traffic. It was the start of the evening rush, which in a city this big was a spectacle even on the weekend.

Ice clinked in Odeta's glass as she sipped mineral water. "Looking forward to seeing your friends from Parliament?" Despite being the Foreign Secretary, she felt less an insider than her colleague, the venerable President of the Esquarian Community.

Everàrd didn't crack a smile. "I only hope we're productive," he said.

I know you're not the most gregarious person, but really, you're still a politician, Odeta thought. She knew Everàrd was smart, dependable, even a solid leader in his own way. But she had never been able to get past that granite facade and see if there was something more human inside his economist's exterior.

The limousine pulled up to Minjian Convention Center and a guard opened the door. A rush of hot air blew Odeta's hair back. "My god, it's like being breathed on by a dragon," she said to no one in particular.

She stepped out onto a bright red carpet and smoothed out her suit as Everàrd climed out of the limousine behind her. Smartly uniformed soldiers were holding Namorese, Montecaran, and Esquarian flags that fluttered in the hot wind.

Li Jiading, Hua Jingyi, and the man himself, Shohai Antelope, were all standing on the far end of the carpet. Odeta felt a pang of sympathy for them -- they'd been standing in this heat all day, and it was starting to show. Still, they struck an impressive image, especially in the midst of the grand stage they'd arranged.

Wordlessly, Everàrd took the lead, strutting confidently down the carpet while a military band struck up a fanfare. Odeta scurried after him.

Everàrd delivered what to Odeta sounded a bit like the sound one would make when dropping a book on one's bare toe, but what she took to be a Namorese greeting. Shohai smiled and shook his hand, and Li and Hua followed suit.

"Good afternoon," Odeta followed. "Forgive me, but my Namorese is not what my colleague's is."

Shohai took her hand in greeting. "Do not worry, Madam President. You are most welcome here."

"Thank you," she replied. "We are looking forward to a most productive summit. I'm sure President Torsièl agrees."

Everàrd only nodded.

[Namor]

"The man approaching you right now is the President of Aucuria, Mr...Pan-ta-lei-mo-nas...Us-pe-le-vi-cius."

What kind of a name is that? the President-General wondered as his smile widened to suppress any possible manifestations of inner confusion. He tried to get the pronunciation right before the Aucurian President could make his way to Li, Hua and himself, but it was too late.

The Aucurian president greeted the President-General in his native language.

"I'm President Pantaleimonas Uspelevičius of Aucuria. This is my defense minister, Judė Alduris; my foreign minister wishes he could be here, but has taken ill. He sends his regards. Let me simply say, President-General Antelope, President Li, Prime Minister Hua, it is an immense honor to be invited to this beautiful city, and to this summit. I hope that we can work together and with the other attendees to solve the issues facing Esquarium." an interpreter said.

The President-General responded in Namorese. As soon as he spoke, so did the interpreter. "Welcome to Xiangmen, Mr. President, it is my pleasure to see you. Here's to a productive summit," he told Uspelevičius. After he, Uspelevičius, Li and Hua faced the cameras, he showed Uspelevičius the way to the Convention Center, and Uspelevičius' entourage walked off.

The President-General turned back to see two limos stopping in unison. Curious, he asked his aide who the guests are.

His Highness Nikolas, Crown Prince of Nevanmaa, and Mr. Tuomas Hyvarinen, prime minister of Nevanmaa," introduced the aide as two figures stepped out.

The President-General froze for a moment. He was staring at the Crown Prince's heavy uniform. Why is he wearing that? Has he checked the weather? he wondered. Suddenly, he felt a lot better wearing a business suit.

"Your Highness, Mr. Prime Minister, welcome to Xiangmen. It's my pleasure to see you at this summit," the President-General said as he shook the hands of both individuals. Without saying more, he beckoned for both the Prince and Prime Minister to the cameras and sent them off to the entrance of the Convention Center.

"Someone should tell that guy to take off his coat," President Li said in Minjianese after the Nevans had left.

The Prime Minister nodded in agreement. It was probably one of the very few moments a left-wing head of state and right-wing head of government agreed on something, but the President-General didn't notice because he was busy preparing to meet the next guest -

"Mrs. Odeta Lucian, Foreign Minister of Montecara, and Everard Torsiel, President of the Esquarian Community."

A limousine bearing both Montecaran and Esquarian Community flags arrived, and another two people stepped out. One looked especially irritated by the heat. The President-General greeted the two leaders separately before beckoning for them to enter the Convention Center.

"A few more people will come, Mr. President-General, and then we can go inside," the aide said.

Thank Heaven, the President-General thought.

[Britanno 3]

Marcus Browning sighed, all to aware that this would most likely be his last Esquarian summit as Prime Minister. With the election a mere six months away, this would be one of his last appearances on the international scene assuming he didn't pull off a miracle and triumph in March. He pondered about the faces missing at this summit compared with the last one.

The most notable absence would, of course, be Breuvi Shjoraski. While it had been almost a year since the Luziycan was removed from office, the satisfaction of the result never faded on Browning. Harald Sjolgaard was gone, replaced with a younger (and female) face who would continue to represent the ultra conservatism of the Vjaarlandic right just with more appealing visuals. Marcus wondered what other leaders would think of him when he was gone - not much, most likely.

His thoughts were cut off by the arrival of his limousine at the summit. Stepping out, ready to embrace hours of boredom as he sat through yet another redundant meeting of leaders that hated each other. Here goes nothing, he thought to himself.

[Greater Ziegenian Reich]

The giant of the sea, the Lütjens, lumbered into a secured section of the port of Xiangmen carrying its precious cargo; the enigmatic and flamboyant supreme warlord of the Teutonic Reich, Friedrich Ulrich. The Lütjens was a peculiar ship for the modern day, as it was laid down in 1941 as the lead ship of the Lütjens-class fast battleships. After the Great Nordanian Continental War, the remaining three Lütjens were decommissioned and preserved as museum ships. With the rise of Friedrich Ulrich to power, the lead ship, Lütjens, was recommissioned and modernized to serve as an active warship of the Kriegsmarine. It had also become somewhat of a personal yacht of Ulrich, due to his incredible fear of travel by aircraft.

Ulrich descended from the stairs with a translator and two bodyguards, one behind him and one in front of him. Waiting for them at the bottom was a limousine where a Namorese man standing besides the passenger door, clearly awaiting for the Teutonic warlord's arrival. Immediately upon exiting the air conditioned facilities of the Lütjens, Ulrich came to somewhat regret wearing his trademarked party uniform, his aides feeling the same way in their own black uniforms of the Schutzstaffel. 'Mein gott, this heat is absolutely unbearable!', Ulrich thought to himself.

The four entered the limousine and it departed towards the convention center where the summit would be taking place. Ulrich and his staff took comfort in the coolness the air conditioning of the vehicle brought as they went about their journey. In roughly thirty minutes they had arrived at their final destination. Viewing from the inside of the vehicle, Ulrich could see several men waiting outside the entrance of the convention center. Ulrich had recognized two of them, President Shohai Antelope and Prime Minister Hua Jingyi, the others remaining a mystery to him. It was also quite clear that they were becoming increasingly uncomfortable in the sweltering heat from standing outside for so long. The Namorese man that had chauffeured them from the port had come to open the door for the Teutonians to exit the vehicle. All four stepped out of the limousine and walked towards their Namorese guests, Ulrich greeting them as they did.

"Good day, Herr Präsident-General, and respective gentlemen. On behalf of the Greater Reich, I look forward to a productive summit and ensuring we maintain peace in our time."

[Namor]

"Marcus Browning, prime minister of Britanno."

"He looks sad," commented President Li in Minjianese as Browning stepped out of the limousine and trod towards the Convention Center.

Behind is anticipatory grin, President-General Antelope was thinking the same thing, although he couldn't understand what Li had said. Either this guy's in long-term depression or the heat is bugging him, he thought. Hopefully the bright parts of this city will cheer him up.

"Mr. Prime Minister, it's a pleasure to see you here," he said as he shook Browning's hand. "It's hot out here, so please help yourself in the Convention Center. There's full air conditioning inside." He, Browning, Li and Hua took a group picture before Browning was led to the Convention Center.

Another limousine arrived, and a stiff man with a weird-looking moustache and wearing a thick uniform stepped out, accompanied by two bodyguards and a translator. The President-General quickly recognized the guest.

"That's the leader of Teutonia, right?" he asked as he leaned towards the aide.

"Right. Mr. Friedrich Ulrich," the aide responded.

"I heard he arrived here by boat because of his phobia of planes," said Prime Minister Hua in Namorese.

The President-General nodded. He didn't know whether to dread or welcome the coming encounter with the Teutonian leader. Like most of his colleagues, Namorese and otherwise, he was opposed to the Teutonian regime; recently, he had met with Aininian President Cao Nima to discuss ways to discomfit the Iron Pact, of which Ulrich's Teutonia is a member. He feared an awkward handshake, but figured that since he isn't a Jew, a handshake with Ulrich isn't impossible.

He extended his hand first with a weak grin, while Ulrich spoke first. The two shook hands.

"Good day, Herr Präsident-General, and respective gentlemen. On behalf of the Greater Reich, I look forward to a productive summit and ensuring we maintain peace in our time."

"Welcome to Xiangmen." The President-General had been thinking too much about whether Ulrich would shake his hand that he forgot how to address him, and so a less formal greeting rolled out of the tip of his tongue. "I, too, hope for a productive summit. Let the press get a picture of us, shall we?"

He beckoned Ulrich to face the cameras. As lights flashed, the President-General silently hoped his opponents won't use the group picture against him in the next election, citing it as an example of a democratically-elected leader making amends with an outright tyrant. Without saying more, he showed Ulrich the way to the Convention Center.

[Democratic Koyro]

Ohanka Jon Bak-su was quite anxious as his limo drove, somewhat erratically through the Namorese city of Xiangmen. Not about the international summit, this would not be his first, and Amugi-willing would not be his last as Leader of Koyro, but about things back home. The last year had been a challenging one for Ohanka. The oil crisis resulting from the Irvadi conflict had taken a heavy toll on the Koy economy, but by far the most dramatic and taxing was the failed coup d'etat in June. Though swiftly crushed, while the coup had only cemented his support amongst the Koy people, it had left quite a negative impression on the Koy ruling class. The result being he had spent much of the past year buying the loyalty of many of the less than steadfast in the ranks of the upper echelons of Koy society. Of course, those who could not be bought could be made to disappear on "corruptions" charges.

The June coup had happened when Ohanka was outside the capital, being outside the country entirely was an even worse situation. Still he had faith that General Chiang and his Revolutionary Guard would be able to maintain order amongst the elite while he was away.

He turned his mind to other matters, specifically the upcoming summit. He casually glanced through some of the documents available as he cast a cigarette out the window, in flagrant disregard for whatever anti-littering or anti-smoking ordinances the city of Xiangmen had in place. At the summit he hoped to raise support for Koyro's anti-caliphate campaign in Irvadistan amongst the leaders of nations who had been less than enthusiastic about the whole ordeal. In addition he wanted to ensure any carbon-reducing deals wouldn't have too much impact on Koy Industry, which was already struggling from oil shortages.

The car lurched to a halt outside the summit venue, which caused a cascade of papers to litter the floor of the luxury limo. "Thank you again for your unique driving skills, Comrade Kim" Ohanka said to his Revolutionary Guard driver before he and his entourage exited the vehicle.

Ohanka was flanked by two of his Unit 720 bodyguards, as well as his Revolutionary Guard translator, as he approached the conference building. Given the heat of Xiangmen, he was thankful he opted to adopt his summer party uniform for this event, a pearl white maosuit with armband, styled after the flag of the Socialist Revolutionary Party. His outfit was in stark contrast to the rest of his group, who wore the standard black overalls and red beret associated with Unit 720.

After a brief greeting with Namorese officials, he was directed towards the crowd of leaders already assembled. "I think we were amongst the last to arrive" Ohanka casually stated to no one in particular.

"Greetings, President-General, I thank you for inviting me to represent the people of Koyro at this most important of events, and hope we can work together towards the best interests of international friendship" Ohanka said, with a somewhat forced smile, as he extended his hand to Shohai Antelope"

[Namor]

Not so long after President-General Antelope had sent Ulrich off, another limousine marked with Koy flags stopped by. The President-General didn't need the aide to tell him who is going to step out the door.

"Mr. Ohanka Jon Bak-su, Paramount Leader of Koyro."

Cameras flashed like crazy as the white maosuit-wearing Ohanka strode towards the President-General, Li and Hua. It was the first time many at the scene - including the President-General himself - saw the Koy leader on Namorese soil, much less in person. For some reason, the President-General was excited. Just a year ago, shaking hands with the leader of a hermit kingdom seemed unimaginable. But here he was - although he did feel guilty for being so excited to greet a...leader with a questionable record, to put it nicely.

The President-General was about to extend his hand, but Ohanka did it first.

"Greetings, President-General, I thank you for inviting me to represent the people of Koyro at this most important of events, and hope we can work together towards the best interests of international friendship," he said with a smile that appeared forced.

The President-General returned the cordiality with a forced smile of his own. "Thank you for showing up, Paramount Leader. Your attendance is much appreciated." He wanted to ask Ohanka if he felt comfortable facing the cameras, but decided that since the other attendants - Ulrich included - were willing to do so, Ohanka was no exception. He beckoned Ohanka to face the press, and the four of them - Shohai Antelope, Ohanka, Li and Hua - were pounded with lights for seconds, before he showed Ohanka the way to the Convention Center.

Realizing that beads of sweat had been forming on his forehead, the President-General reached into his pocket for a tissue, which he then used to wipe the sweat off. The temperature was rising and he was still waiting.

Inside the Convention Center

---

After they presented their credentials to the President-General and entered the Convention Center, the guests walked down the red carpet, which continued inside the Center until it stopped at the foot of three elevators. One by one, each country's delegation was carried to the third floor of the Convention Center - the site of the conference room where the summit would begin. All three elevators were used out of the fear that if only one were used, unfriendly leaders may bump into each other waiting for a lift, provoking unnecessary awkwardness. Once the leaders arrived at the third floor, they were led down a long hallway that connected the elevator room with the conference room.

The conference room is surrounded on all sides by glass windows, providing attendants with a good view of the Xiangmen skyline. One side is connected with a smaller room where the interpreters worked and foreign officials who followed their leaders to the summit would stay to observe the coming conference.

In the smack middle of the conference room itself is a round glass table with a diameter of five meters - large enough so that attending leaders have some space for their own. The seat located farthest from the entrance is reserved for the President-General, marked by a placard reading "NAMOR - НАМОРА - 纳摩" and a handheld flag of the People's Republic standing next to it. Going clockwise from the seat of the President-General, the seats were arranged (mostly) in alphabetical order; thus, sitting to the President-General's left is the Prime Minister of Ainin, while sitting to his right is the First Minister of Xiaodong.

There were, however, a few reservations to the arrangement - Namo had received a request by both the Aininian and Ankoreni governments that Prime Ministers Lotbiniere and Akbari sit as far away from each other as possible, preferably on opposite sides of the table. Thus, Akbari is to sit between Pavonistadian President Oppenheim and Teutonia's Ulrich - directly opposite of Lotbiniere's seat.

Originally, the Speaker of Pisdara would have been seated next to Oppenheim, but due to Akbari's presence, officials were concerned that placing Akbari and Bouchard next to each other would offend the Aininians. Thus, a slot was created between Ulrich and Rinka to accommodate Bouchard's seat.

Headsets and microphones are provided for every leader, as well as a glass of traditional Namorese herbal tea - a popular drink for those who need to quench their thirst in the middle of a heatwave. If someone happened to finish his or her glass of tea, an assistance would be available for refills.

To the delight of everyone, the room is air conditioned, maintaining a constant temperature of 22 degrees centigrade (71.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

As the leaders, starting with the Regent of Tuthina, made their way into the conference room, one by one, they were led to their seats and asked to wait there until the President-General enters the room and takes his seat - indicating that everyone had arrived and the summit could proceed. Camera-wielding reporters, who were given permission to cover the summit from the conference room until the President-General finishes his welcome speech, paid attention to anything interesting that could happen as certain leaders took their seats and saw someone they didn't like enter the same room.

[West Cedarbrook]

At the entrance to the Minjian Regional Convention Center, another limousine moved up, waved ahead at the top speed allowed by security. Inside rode President Issac Feld of the Kramden of West Cedarbrook, and his trusty Secretary of External Affairs, Vernon Kansky. Kansky fidgeted, slightly perturbed by refueling delays, and traffic from the airport. Feld's 6'5" frame sprawled next to him, reviewing the latest feeds from Wrycova. The second ballot for Senate organization was inconclusive, and all parties seemed headed back to party discipline for the third. Feld was unruffled, expecting some Libertarian-Civic Alliance coalition, but that was for concern later. He was much more interested in his chances at breaking Phillip Silverstein's wartime first pitch record for the upcoming baseball opener.

As the limo pulled up to the curb, Feld emerged first, straightening his gray suit and rep tie, as well as his Nineteenth Division lapel pin. He took two steps forward, followed by Secretary Kansky. The President moved fluidly, still agile at age 56, without the gait of many former high school defensive ends as he entered the conference center. Halting before joining him, Kansky went over a few last minute notes before catching up with the President.

The entourage, aware of the lateness of their arrival, moved rapidly toward the waiting officials. President Feld smiled pleasantly, and, after the delegation's announcement greeted the three hosts. "President-General Antelope, Prime Minister Jingyi, President Jiading, it gives me great pleasure to send greetings on behalf of the people and government of the Kramden of West Cedarbrook. Secretary Kansky and I especially want to thank the people of Namor for their gracious hospitality, and we look forward to productive sessions in addressing the issues impacting all of Esquarium." Feld firmly but gently shook the hand of each of the three officials, and after their response, hustled forward with Kansky in tow.

Vern tapped Feld on the right shoulder. "Okay, let's keep to plan here Mr. President. Stick with the major off-continent trading partners during chat sessions and small talk. I've got an open line to Xavier Vargas in Cahokia should the need arrive, which should parry any isolationist complaints about the Latins not getting an invite. We can't control that. Oh, and don't forget, after greeting President Uspelevičius you can go ahead and wish Jude Aldurig a Good New Year. But please, use English. Aukurish is a beautiful, melodic language, but Galitzianer just falls flat and grating on Aukurish ears. Trust me".

[Tuthina]

Under the guidance of designated workers of the convention centre, the Regent soon evaded the blazing sun and the engulfing heat that was powered by it. Despite her best effort, her costumes were nevertheless restraining enough to sweat her a little, although not visible enough to cause embarrassing situations.

Living though most of her life as the heir to the Imperial throne before the birth of her younger brother, the Emperor Incumbent, Anteko was quite familiar to the admittedly alien customs of the land beyond the Most Serene Empire - a sensation that was most likely mutual, she reckoned. That said, the confining suit she bore was still one of the few things that she would probably never be accustomed to. Still, as someone who represented the Emperor and His Empire to the ruling elites of the rest of the world, she did not have the luxury to choose.

Despite the head start, her retainer was already waiting by the lift as she approached it. Exchanging a quiet nod and a confirmation of his identity to the guide, they rode the metal box to the floor where the conference room was located on.

“Quite a remarkable building they have built.” As they walked through the corridor, Anteko finally broke the silence, although the servant only responded with a silent nod in agreement. “It is a rather fine refuge from the summer heat.”

“Would you be interested in exploring this foreign country?” The Regent asked as she drew closer to the towering man.

“If such is your intended schedule, Your Most Serene Highness.”

“In that case, perhaps we should spend the first night for a fine dinner. Our tender host can probably offer some recommendation.” She smiled, her body slightly leant towards the dark man.

“They certainly will.”

“Let us hope that they will see it fit not to disturb our night, then.” She concluded their small conversation with a line deliberately spoken in one of the obscure tongues spoken by the aboriginal population of the Home Island, one pertaining to the tribe of her aide. With another quiet nod, they parted way before the conference room.

Unlike the last summit organised by the Empire, the host apparently saw it fit to allow reporters to be stationed in the room itself, at least until the actual start of the event. Presumably, that was the result when the general population who empowered the leaders desired to know of their actions, instead of merely being informed by them. Without expressing her thoughts, she merely offered the reporters a greeting gesture and a smile, before finding her seat roughly on the other side of the seat of the host. She wondered if any of those foreigners would be interested in questioning her, though. It was certainly a rare sight, at least in the Home Islands, where the reporters did not lay prostrate before her before an interview.