A Northern Friend (Closed)

[Riysa]

8:38 local time
17/9/2018
Hotel Brutus, Forssa, Viksberg

"Have a good day!" The hotel receptionist politely said to the group of three suited men, who waved back in response. Exiting the building, they walked up the busy street, casually talking among themselves like close friends, and gathering in the sights that Forssa had to offer. Each of them carried a pretty standard leather briefcase, gently swaying with their arms as they walked. And, safely tucked into their pockets, was a green Riysian diplomatic passport.

Though they didn't seem out of place, with their smart attire and light complexion, they were of course diplomats from the Riysian Arab Republic, come to meet with the candidates for the general election and start up relations between the two nations. Though typically such meetings between nations would be conducted with plenty of fanfare and celebration, the Riysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn't want to attract too much attention during such a delicate time, especially since the rest of the world would no doubt be interested in meddling. So, while the three had carried their official passports for diplomatic reasons, they had traveled on a typical commercial flight without any prior publicity, and quietly checked into the Hotel Brutus - the closest hotel to the Council Square.

At their head was Wasem Atassi, an experienced, middle-aged man with blond hair and green eyes. He like the other two, Firas Shalaby and Rida Tartawi, had been picked for being one of the minority of Riysians who fluently spoke a Nordic language - in his case, Finnish, in the others, Finnish and Swedish respectively, as well as Russian for Rida. Certainly, the other candidates knew some English, but experience taught that speaking with someone in their native language always made things better and reduced the chance of misunderstandings.

Several minutes and a few hundred meters later, the trio had arrived at the Council Square. On one side was the distinctive Council Building, housing the People's Council of Viksberg; their destination, the offices of the candidates they were supposed to meet with, was located right next door. Briskly they crossed the square, going straight towards the office building, Wasem entering inside first, followed by Rida and Firas.

"Hei!" Wasem said to the receptionist, with a friendly smile. "Excuse me, I have an appointment with Miss Looke at 9:00. Could you please let her know I am here?." He motioned at the other two. "They also have a scheduled appointment."

"I have one with Mister Soini at 9:15." Firas injected, crisply and succinctly.

"And he has one with Mister Glagolev." Wasem said, referring to Rida, who lightly nodded. "Thank you very much."

[Viksberg]

8:52 AM
17/9/2018
The Office Building, Council Square, Forssa, Viksberg

The receptionist smiled brightly. “You must be Mr. Atassi.” she said to Wasem and continued: “Miss Looke will be in her office soon. You may wait for her outside the office, which is on the 2nd floor. Just take the elevator on your right to get there.” She turned to Firas and Rida. “Same for you gentlemen, but you will be going to the 3rd floor, where the offices of Mr. Soini and Mr. Glagolev are.” Just as the trio was leaving for the elevator, the receptionist said to them: “I hope you have a great time in our nation!”

The elevator stopped at the 2nd floor and Wasem stepped out, and Firas and Rida continued for the 3rd floor. Wasem realized that the receptionist didn’t remember to tell exactly where on the 2nd floor Miss Looke’s office was, but shortly after he saw a sign saying the office was on the left. He walked to a space which looked like a waiting room. Wasem read the little sign on the door on the other side of the room. “Ms. Heidi Looke’s office” the sign said. Wasem sat down on a couch and waited for Miss Looke.

Meanwhile, Firas had found Mr. Soini’s office and Rida was waiting outside Mr. Glagolev’s office. When the clock hit 8.59, Ms. Looke, a quite short woman with tall hair, came out of a room where she just held a press conference. She hurried to her office to greet Wasem. “It’s good to finally meet you personally, Mr. Atassi. I am Heidi Looke, leader of the Viksbergian Coalition and the political alliance between my party and the Free Party. Now, let’s get into my office so we can officially start our meeting.” she said. Ms. Looke’s office was quite modern; almost identical to any office, except for the paintings and the flowers she had picked herself to decorate her office. “Let’s start then, shall we?” Ms. Looke asked and smiled.

At 9.15, Mr. Soini, a chubby man with grayish hair, walked to Firas and shook his hand. “It’s splendid to meet you Mr. Shalaby. I am Teuvo Soini, leader of the Patriotic Party of Viksberg, although I think you knew that already.” Mr. Soini said and laughed a little. “Please, go ahead and take a seat in my office, so we can start our little meeting.” he continued. They entered the office, which was clearly made in the style the Viksbergian communists used when they were in power. However, all communist symbols had been removed from the office, and a giant flag of Viksberg had been put on the wall. “So, where shall we begin?” Mr. Soini asked as he sat down on his chair.

At the same time, Mr, Glagolev, a tall man with grey hair, greeted Rida. “Good to meet you Mr. Tartawi. I am Oleg Glagolev, leader of Change 2018, and the General Secretary of Viksberg. Well, I was, until this corruption scandal happened… Now Mr. Hermanni Uotinen will be in charge of the tasks of the General Secretary until a new general secretary is elected. Anyway, shall we go into my office?” Like Mr. Soini’s office, Mr. Glagolev’s office was made during the communist era. The two offices were quite similar, except Mr. Glagolev had a cross on the wall instead of the flag, to represent his faith in Christ. “So, where do you want to begin Mr. Tartawi?” Mr. Glagolev asked as he sat down and poured himself a cup of coffee and offered some to Rida as well.

(Note: Mr. Soini's first name is now Teuvo, as it should have been in the first place.)

[Riysa]

Heidi Looke's office

"It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Looke, and many thanks for meeting me on a short notice. I hope I didn't inconvenience you." Wasem followed her into the office, placing his case on the floor next to him and adjusting his tie clip.

"First, congratulations! I've seen the latest polls, and you and your coalition are at the front. It certainly seems that your platform has been resonating with the people of Viksberg. Otherwise, how are you doing personally? It must be stressful having to be constantly on top of everything during this campaign." He glanced around the office. "Though, I'd say that your office is quite welcoming. Did you arrange all of this yourself?"

Oleg Glagolev's office

"Honored to meet you, Mister Glagolev." Rida politely accepted the offered coffee. "It isn't every day that you meet a war hero from the fight against the communists. It's something we Riysians appreciate. It was saddening for all of us to hear about the corruption scandal." He took a sip.

"So, before anything else, I'd like to learn more about you and your platform. What were your original plans for Viksberg before the elections, and what do you think the most important thing is for your nation to succeed and grow in the post-communist era? I know that trying to repair the damage from communism is quite a challenge, especially in the immediate years after its fall."

Teuvo Soini's office

"Likewise, Mister Soini." Firas followed the man into his office, and sat down. "I must say, the journey that you and your party has taken to now has been quite fascinating, really. What do you think happened that made the Patriotic Party so popular in Viksberg? And, if you become general secretary, where will you take Viksberg?"

[Viksberg]

Heidi Looke’s Office

“Thank you. It is certainly wonderful seeing how my party might win and stop Soini and his populists from getting into power. And yes, this has been quite stressful. You have no idea how hard it was to get the Christian Democrats on our side. I could have had worked with the Social Democrats, but the Free Party and Pietari Orpo, their leader, probably wouldn’t have liked that, as they are the most far-right party on economic matters. Luckily the Progressive Alliance has gained a lot of support, as the Free Party has reluctantly agreed to work with them.” Ms. Looke said and looked around her office. “Oh, and yes, I did most of the decorating here myself. I just didn’t like the old style of this office when I first got here.” she said and smiled.

Oleg Glagolev’s Office

“My original plans for Viksberg? My top priority was always to fix the economy. The communists here, like anywhere else, had ruined the economy. For the short time my party was in power, we did actually quite well on fixing the economy. It isn’t perfect yet, of course, but it is starting to look good. I just hope now that the Viksbergian Coalition and rest of their allies are probably going to get into power, that they will continue on fixing the economy. The welfare system the communists introduced is actually a great idea, but it will not work in it’s current form.” Mr. Glagolev said.

“So, to answer your question, I think that the best way Viksberg can succeed in these times is to allow more privatization, reform the welfare system and allow free trade with other countries.”

Teuvo Soini’s Office

“Hmm..” Mr. Soini thought for a while and answered: “I think our party became so popular because of the nationalism that is rooted in the people of Viksberg. During the communist era, we were the most nationalist communist nation you could find. And today, even the Progressive Alliance is surprisingly patriotic, even though they are one of the most internationalist parties in Viksberg. Anyway, once the people of Viksberg realized that my party was the truly nationalist, caring and truthful party, it gave us a huge boost in support. It’s quite difficult to tell the exact reasons why we became so popular, but I think people saw us as the best alternative after some members of Change 2018 showed their true colors.”

“Also, I think it’s still possible for the Patriotic Party to win the election, since the Viksbergian Coalition and the rest will have a hard time working with the Free Party. And if they succeed in getting the Social Democrats on their side, they have basically lost. A government of parties from all over the political spectrum isn’t going to work. Anyway, if we win and I become the General Secretary, I will make Viksberg a great country again, like it was before the communists came and ruined everything. I will support and protect the traditional Christian values, it will be like in the good old days! I also believe that the military needs more support and funding. To summarize, I would put Viksberg and its people above everything!”