Dashgrinaar-Atnaia Summit [CLOSED]

[Dashgrinaar]

The rain was soon to come. A pale sun spluttered weakly behind the veil of dark, tumultuous clouds, dark and forbidding across the horizon. A slight gale went whispering through the trees, tearing leaves from their branches, sending them fluttering down to cobbled paths that sprawled through the grounds of Havenwatch. The scent of rain could already be found permeating the glades around the great Palace, weaving its way to the stone steps of the northern façade, twisting awry, circling the statue of the Eternal Queen, the Royal Eye. Grace stood there, surveying the darkening demesne, white paths of marbles slashing through green lawns.

She was cloaked in a dress of deep blue with subtle accents of iris purple. Its light fabrics twisted and snapped in the wind, the only thing keeping the dress from unfurling into a display of darkness being the dark, black cloak that was cowled over her face, and was sent draping down her back. Grace pushed the hood back, and smiled, breathing in the fresh air. Everything had gone according to plan - the rooms were booked and prepared, the meals had been ordered, and the train had been reserved - and the delegation from Atnaia was soon to arrive.

She walked deliberately down the wide, grey steps, and crossed the wide circle in which the Statue of the Eternal Queen was situated. She passed before the arm and fire of the Queen, beneath the stone robes and décor of the statue. She walked out of the circle, heading for the building straight in front of her, the train station, which she would take to the airport.

She entered the silver capsule, and an hour later, had arrived at Terminal G, the Terminaél du Diploaeciá, where the Atnaian plane would land, and she would meet her constituents. The dark blue and violet dress had been covered with a white business coat, embossed with the foreign affairs logo in gold thread. The cloak she had been wearing earlier was on a faceless statue in the Façade Hall of the Palace.

---

This RP is closed to Atnaia and Dashgrinaar

Havenwatch: http://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=531055

[Atnaia]

Wilem Lostmorrow sipped the last of his tea and set it back on the tray table in front of him. He absently flipped through the economics magazine he had brought with him for the plane ride. A stewardess walked by and collected his cup.

"We'll be landing in Dashgrinaar in just a few minutes, sir," she said.

"Thank," Lostmorrow replied. He shut the magazine and packed his laptop bag, then buckled his seatbelt. The rest of the first-class section was doing similar.

A few minutes later, the plane began its descent. Lostmorrow disembarked with his assistants, Jacob and Sandra.

Lostmorrow was a young, handsome man. He had a face of perfectly-groomed five o'clock shadow, the exact right amount of mess in his hair and a crooked smile that made him look like he knew something everyone else in the room didn't. He was dressed in a navy blue suit, a lightly patterned gray shirt and a so-blue-it-was-black tie. He wore a ducal ring on his left hand, and a pin with the Hegemonic Flag on his lapel. He stepped out onto Terminal G and immediately noticed his host. He swaggered forward and bowed.

"Lady Grace, I presume?" he said in his smooth Northern Atnaian accent. "Wilem Lostmorrow, Duke and prefectorial governor of Lostmorrow. I'm glad to make your acquaintance."

[Dashgrinaar]

Grace set down the glass in her hand, and returned Lostmorrow's greeting, shaking hands with the young man in front of her. She noted his features, as well as the ducal ring and flag. She was one of the few privy to the knowledge that Helen had aided the ex-Prince Henry, but betrayed none of it on her face. For all she knew, the Prince could be in the palace. She would have to send a memo once they reached the train.

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Duke Lostmorrow," she said, "There is no need to call me 'Lady,' as Grace will do just fine. I thank you, as well as your government, for coming today. Will you need to gather your belongings, or do you have them? We will be departing for Havenwatch shortly. In the meantime, if you have any questions, or want anything, feel free to ask me. I have found your recent government change quite interesting, and look forwards to working more closely with it."

[Atnaia]

Lostmorrow smiled his trademark crooked grin. "Interesting indeed. A few short months ago, I had to push my way through a crowd of peacocking old men with too many fancy titles to mention to get to work in the Parliament Buildings. Now my fellow governors are comprised of everyone from professors to public servants to one or two of the old guard. It's a nice change of pace. Shame about Henry, though...I was in school with him, always saw him as a stand-up guy. Hell of a swimmer."

[Dashgrinaar]

"I must agree. It seems as if the new government brings the people closer together. However, we should get going if we want to make it to Havenwatch before the rains start." She smiled at him, and led him through metal double-doors to a deck where a train was waiting. She pressed a few buttons, than scanned something, and motioned him in. "After you, Duke."

The door slid up to reveal a sleek interior. The room was refined, with ample room to move about. A table sat in the middle, supporting a pitcher of water and cups. A curving, cushioned bench was fitted along the edges of the capsule, and above it, the wall was seamless glass and metal.

[Atnaia]

Lostmorrow entered and waited for his host to enter and take a seat before sitting. "Quite the private train," he said. "I always preferred boats. I have a yacht I'm quite fond of."

[Dashgrinaar]

"We could have taken a boat down the Ría Lumière, and would have ended up at Havenwatch eventually, but it would have taken a very long time, especially with the rains. We should be off now."

She walked over to a screen and pushed a few buttons that appeared on it, setting their course. She then confirmed their destination, and the door closed. The train began to move, gathering speed as it left the airport, heading away from the city and its bright lights. They headed towards the plains that separated them from Havenwatch.

"Would you like anything to drink, Duke?"

[Atnaia]

"Water is fine, thank you," Lostmorrow said. He unbuttoned his jacket and sat down. "You know that my father used to come to Dashgrinaar on business, if I remember right. Business may have been his term for a young woman, I wouldn't know. He spoke very highly of the reception he received here, and of the loveliness of the women. I'm inclined to agree so far."

[Dashgrinaar]

"Why thank you. Most of our schools' curriculae attempt to ingrain the minutiae of social politeness within the different subjects, and we just hope it works. I'm not familiar with the programs, however. I only present oversight on the curriculum of the Foreign Affairs College in the University of the Government."

Grace walked over to the pitcher of water and poured two cups, one for Lostmorrow and one for herself. She handed one to him, and kept the other. After taking a quick sip of water, she continued.

"I myself have never been to Atnaia for business, only for vacation. I must say it is a very nice country, and the people match."

[Atnaia]

"We try," Lostmorrow sipped. "Atnaia is not exactly renowned for its compassion, but we're not without charms."

Lostmorrow glanced out the window. He drummed his fingers against the glass for a moment, then turned back. "I think Atnaia has always prized intellect over kindness. There's a certain cruel benefit to logic, I suppose. It's turned us into an industrial powerhouse. I recommend visiting Coldwater one day. It's quite a sight to see. Factories for miles in every direction, the stack-housing jutting from the waves of smokestacks and silos and catwalks like spires. At night, through the haze,you can see the blinking lights at the peak of every building and chimney like multi-coloured, low-hanging stars, warning the helicopter pilots of the dangers of even attempting to approach the city. We built that megalithic beehive through our logic, and it churns out cars and laptops and combine harvesters and printing presses in return."

[Dashgrinaar]

"We do appreciate industriousness, but I guess that our people prefer to hide the damage that it does to our environment among other things. We have a major mining industry, but it's concealed within the mountains. We try not to taint the environment that shows, but there must be some sacrifices taken to maintain a nation."

The rain began to pound on the glass, voiceless, and coated the landscape in a watery, gray sheen. Grace looked beyond at fields being misted in the rain, the light flickering ethereally between the clouds. "I think that our people prize the beauty of our architecture and landscape sometimes too much, though they strongly believe in intellect. All of the major cities have some sort of opulent square to show off the wealth and beauty of the nation, but those resources could probably feed the poor and homeless for years on end if we distributed that wealth. I am a culprit of this as well, being of the higher class, but it is a flaw that we have."

[Atnaia]

Lostmorrow smiled. "A small flaw to have," he said. "We can't choose who our parents are, or to what class we are born. We can choose how to use that prestige however. And beauty is far from an overrated trait. Don't let anyone know I said this, but if the Hegemon has a single flaw, aside from his copious pride, it's that he has a hard time appreciating beauty on its own merits. Henry always appreciated art for art's sake."

[Dashgrinaar]

"I remember one of our ambassadors telling me about a certain piece, concerning Arthur, though I forgot the name of it. She professed its beauty, and really seemed to appreciate it. I guess that when you spend lots of time working on other things, sense of beauty can become lost, but always again found."

She gazed out the window, watching the boiling horizons. The screen near the front informed them that they would be arriving soon.

"We'll be at Havenwatch soon, Duke."

[Atnaia]

"The Apotheosis of Arthur," Lostmorrow said. "I've only seen it once or twice. I haven't had much occasion to attend the Palace. A bit traditional for my taste, but hey, to each their own. I've always been more of a post-50s kind of person when it comes to art or music. The Palace was a bit stuffy for me.I can appreciate beauty though, and the Apotheosis is certainly beautiful."

[Dashgrinaar]

"The palace is a bit traditional, though it was constructed in the last 1960s, and was renovated a few years ago. There are touches of modernity everywhere, though it melds seamlessly with the original, much like the fusion architecture in your own nation. They beauty and peculiarity of that never ceases to amaze me."

The train slowly dipped lower, and soon enough, they had approached the station. A thick gale blew, hints of rain falling in a broken mist. They exited the train, and entered into the train station.

It was a small stone building, much wider than it was tall, illuminated by a single golden chandelier. They didn't stay for long, instead opting to walk across the Royal Circle to the Main Façade. As they walked across, the gleaming statue of the First Queen shone in the dull light. It stood 20 feet tall.

"Welcome to Havenwatch, I hope you enjoy your stay."

[Atnaia]

Lostmorrow smiled. "I am certain I will. Now, are we to get straight to business, or is their time to enjoy your nation's obvious charms?"

[Dashgrinaar]

"If you would like, we can always make time to enjoy ourselves, as well as the beauty of the Palace and the city. Would you like to step inside and tour the palace first, or would you like to dine first?"

She gestured towards the large glass doors that filled the entrance to the palace. The original oak wood doors had been removed long ago, but the glass ones had been carved and shaped in their image. Grace began to gravitate towards the, Lostmorrow going along.

[Atnaia]

"A tour would be lovely, I am sure," Lostmorrow smoothed out his jacket as he followed her. "I've heard wonderful things about these sorts of venues in Dashgrinaar..."

[Dashgrinaar]

"That's great. The Palace is almost never truly open to the public, though we have had some events of the sort here. The old Palace is open to the public, however."

Grace led the party into the Main Façade, large and airy beneath pointed ceilings. A wide staircase of marble wound up to a balcony two stories above, and large, carved stone doors stood beneath, flanked by granite oaks. Faceless, bronze statues gleamed on the walls, interspersing the large glass windows that stretched the height of the Hall.

"Welcome to the Main Façade's Great Entry Hall. The statutes that you see here are called the Many Faces, and they represent the people of Dashgrinaar and the world. They were from the original palace, though they have been restored since."

[Dashgrinaar]

Grace led Lostmorrow through stone doors that sat in the center of the Main Façade. The entered the Glass Colonnade, shimmering colorfully from all sides, clear glass punctuated by "windows" of stained glass that seemed to hover in the air.

"This is the Glass Colonnade. It was the most recent addition to the Palace, dividing the Royal Inner Gardens into two, the Sunlight and Moonlight. What do you think, Duke?"

[Atnaia]

"Quite beautiful," Lostmorrow smiled graciously. "I can assure you that Atnaia doesn't have anything quite like this. Most of our bigger mansions were designed with more concern to keeping the servants hidden than with colour. I once asked my father if I could paint my room blue. He said that we couldn't because then he'd need to change the colour of the servants' outfits to blend better. He was not a particularly progressive man in that regard. Very upstairs-downstairs."

[Dashgrinaar]

"The Old Palace was designed like that, when Helen's father moved here, he departed from the philosophy, and began to embrace the servants as part of the palatial family. Would you like to dine now? I know it is late and you haven't had anything to eat since you've gotten here."

[Atnaia]

"I suppose I could eat," Lostmorrow said. "Lead the way."

[Dashgrinaar]

"The dining room I had set up is in the Lumière Addition of the Palace. We'll have to go through the Main Façade again, but we'll be closer to where you will be staying."

She and Lostmorrow walked out of the Glass Collonade back into the Main Façade. She led him to the left and they walked through the grand hall until they reached a flight of stairs that led to black iron doors. Once through, they ambled through a series of halls, lined with paintings and sculptures. After a minute or two, they entered a well-lit dining room with an already set table with bread and cheeses.

"Please, have a seat. Our course plans are on the cards on top of the plates, and the Palace chefs are some of the finest in the country. If your would like anything different, just tell me. We can begin our talks if you so like, as well."

She waited for him to take a seat, then took her own. "And I almost forgot, what would you like to drink?"

---

First Course
Tomato Basil Bisque
Salade Verte

Second Course
Quenelles du Pike with Lobster Sauce

Main Course
Navarin d'Agneau

Fourth Course
Fondue Savoyarde

Desert to be served following Fourth Course
on the Autumn Pavilion in the Sunlight Gardens

[Dashgrinaar]

Grace thought about what she hoped to accomplish. The last meetings of the two nations had been with Helen and another Atnaian government official, but they had lowered tariffs for the benefits of both nations. Noticing the lapwe in conversation, she grasped on and began.

"If I recall correctly, the last meeting our our two nations resulted in lower tariffs for both of us to encourage economic activity. Seeing how your nation has gone through much, as well as ours, I think it would be appropriate to start from there and see how we go. Our nations are similar in beliefs, I believe, and could benefit greatly from mutual exchanges. What opinions do you have, Duke?"