The Valentian Dinner – The Second One! [IC / CLOSED]

[Bloodshade]

---

Pivane looked to his side as he saw Tiffany approach him. He looked up and down, and his brow raised. He knew Valentiners are tall but he was confused at her metal encasing. She mentally shrugged it off. It was probably just a get-up that was foreign to him, and he did not want to be rude. “Lolma. You must be Tiffany. It is good to meet you.” He said in his best English with a calm tone. He looked at the lighter and jumped back a bit. It took him a second to realize that it was not coming out of an extended finger, but rather a small metallic ‘torch’. He quickly regained his composure and slowly grabbed the lighter. “Askwali-” He quickly recorrected himself “Thank you.” He used the lighter to light his small pipe, trying his best not to burn himself. As the tobacco caught fire, he quickly closed the lid and dropped it in Tiffany’s hands. “Thank you, again.”

He took one big puff from his pipe, causing him to cough a bit. He took the pipe out of his mouth and looked at Tiffany. He was curious at the metal machine, unaware that there was not a person behind it but rather electronics and more metal. He asked, “Please forgive the rudeness, but is your metallic suit for cultural reasons or are you a guard?”

After the whole debacle was done and dusted with, Ambrosia noticed a man out of time. Where was he from? What was he doing here? How did he even get here? On the surface, he was nothing crazy. He was a simple human from a simple time and he seemed to have been chatting up Tiffany. She wondered how he'd react to a woman such as herself. A vampire, no less. Gods, that'll be an opportunity she won't pass up. The vampire sneaks up behind Pivane and taps Pivane on the shoulder in order to capture his attention.

"Hello, Mr. Pivane! My name is Ambrosia and it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance on this fine evening! I noticed that you were chatting up dear Tiffany and I thought that it would be a splendid idea to get you engaged in the dinner party!

I won't overwhelm you, darling, so perhaps I should start by going into detail about who I am. I'm the federal president of a state known as Bloodshade! We're a mix of humans, elves, vampires and dwarfs. Oh, I'm a vampire by the way but please don't let that affect your opinion of me. I won't hurt you.

May I ask, who exactly are you and what brings you to this dinner party? I hope you don't take this the wrong way! I am simply curious!"

---

As the five of them came back down, Valentijn made a quick announcement on the PA system about Freya’s departure, and how he was apologetic and responsible for it. He then passed the PA system to Clarissa, who in turn offered Ambrosia a chance of a lifetime, or at least a chance in this dinner.

“Helloooo there, my friend!” Clarissa eagerly greeted, handing Ambrosia a microphone that is connected to the PA system in the living room, “What do you say? Would you like to go crazy on the sound system? Hm-hm!”

Ambrosia looked up to the towering individual and was awash with guilt. Here she was, attempting to soothe the vampire's nerves while all she did was be a part of a commotion that disrupted the party. She reluctantly looked up to the android, attempting to wear a welcoming smile on her face, her eyes beaming in response to Clarissa's offer.

"Oh! Um, thank you Clarissa! This means a lot to me. Perhaps I could cheer everyone up? I have many words of love to the people that are close to me in my life and to the other guests as well...even for the ones that I can't get along with. I think that will take people's minds off of the commotion that happened a while ago, don't ya think?"

Ambrosia picked up the microphone but she ended up just using it to scratch her head. What in the world is she supposed to say? Heavens above, it shouldn't be this hard and yet it was. She was supposed to be a charismatic public speaker and yet she's having trouble addressing the guests of a simple dinner party...

"Wait! I got it! Thank you again, Clarissa! You're such a sweetheart! I'm going to repay everyone that's been dear to me in this party! Stay tuned!"

---

Skinny black jeans, boots… red flannel. A strange person, or a being, fell out of the portal in the mid-air and landed a few meters away from the White House. Jolyn, Jamie, and Jenny went out again to check it out, with Angeline reading on her scanner.

“Huh, what an entrance,” Jenny remarked. Jamie looked at the list, having quite a difficult time trying to determine who that was. She tried to run around, only to stop and look at the portal above her.

“Maybe she was not supposed to be here?” Jamie wondered, “It is not that I am unwelcoming of her; I certainly would not mind her being around for the party! What I mean is… she looks rather lost. It was almost as if she was not prepared for this party.”

“All the more reason to invite her in, of course!” Angeline replied gleefully. The rest of the Valentian women agreed and with that, Jolyn and Jamie decided to go out of the gate to greet this new person. At least she looks humanoid, they thought to themselves. Jamie would be the one to do all the talking.

“Hello there, fellow visitor! Hmm, I don’t believe that we have seen you around, or in this list. Maybe my list was just not updated yet! Anyway, welcome to Valentine Z, and this is our White House? Are you here for the party?”

Ambrosia spotted a huddle outside of the White House's gate. Was there an issue? Did something happen? In most cases, Ambrosia shouldn't exactly bother worrying herself about such affairs that aren't related to her but she decided to sate her curiosity. The vampire strolled over to Valentians, waving over at the three as she stood right next to them. There, on the grass, she saw a peculiar little creature. She seemed to be rather lost and Ambrosia had many questions but she decided to soothe this being's nerves.

"Hello Angeline, Jamie and Jolyn! Apologies if I'm butting in but I was wondering who this little cutie is! Where exactly did she come from? Hmm, no matter, why don't we help her up? Greetings, sweetheart, the name's Ambrosia!"

Ambrosia crouches down to her knees, with one hand reaching over to the squid-like being and caressing her tentacles in the hopes that she'd make this lady feel at home.

"Now I know you might feel stressed but don't fret, I'm here to help you out. Come along now, a pretty lady such as yourself shouldn't be left out of a dinner party. Oh! Make yourself known to the hosts. These are just some of the beautiful hosts of this party. Angeline, Jamie and Jolyn! Please introduce yourself and maybe when you're feeling confident, you can come on over inside and we can get to know each other. I'm holding up some of the guests so I need to go back. See ya in a bit, sugar. I'm going to make an announcement."

[The Albali Republic]

Strein was already unsure of what quite to expect as she followed her Canicien companion to the garden, but a playground? Not quite what she was expecting. She's especially astounded by the presence of these...swings?
If Serry's happy, it's good enough for her. With a swish of her tail, the wolf walks over to the swingset, pacing around it somewhat as she tries to figure out...what this even is.
It looks like a seat with chains attaching it to something. Weird...

"Serry, how do these swings work? I've never been on one before. Do you just sit down and...?" The lupine cautiously sits down in the closest swing, feeling it sway back and forth as she moves her legs.
"...Do you just kick the ground to move? I think that's how you do it." Strein does just that, putting one paw on the ground before pushing it forward. The swing goes forward and upwards, just about launching the wolf off before she manages to grab onto the chains...or ropes, whatever this uses!
The lupine can't help but elatedly shout, having spent a whole 5 seconds swinging and already loving it!

As the swing comes back to its previous position, Strein comes to a halt, eagerly looking to her wife with an excited gleam in her eyes.
"....This IS fun. Serry, you should join me!" She glances at the swing directly next to her, naturally.

Seren couldn't resist the opportunity! She sat down on the swing beside Strein before kicking herself off the ground. "I'm glad you like them! I'm not sure what possessed Valentijn to put a swingset here, but I'm not going to complain!" She gradually began to increase the speed of her swinging as she conversed with her wife. "At least it gets us away from the drama inside, hmm?"

Soon, the two women had set a steady pace with their swinging, and may have possibly entered a competition about who could go the highest. Serry thought she had the upper hand, down to her wealth of experience, but Strein proved better than she had expected! She really should have expected it, in hindsight... her wife seemed like she was good at everything! Of course, Seren would have been happy regardless of the eventual result - they were both going to be winners, for the true prize was the fun they both had along the way.

[Blodrike]

Ambrosia felt rather respondent due to the fact that nothing she could say would keep the vampire present in the party. It seems that the damage had been done. Ambrosia's heart sank, trying to think of how she could've approached the situation differently but there no point in crying over spilt milk. What's done is done and if Freya and Astrid's pride were hurt by the other guests, they had every right to leave. It was rather logical to Ambrosia. If there's a leech on your skin, it's best to remove it rather than endure suffering for the sake of another. Would Ambrosia have done the same thing in such a situation? Probably not but she wouldn't blame anyone else. Perhaps the vampire had over-estimated her own worth in this situation. Such thoughts raced around her mind and she couldn't help but feel like a meritless being in such a situation. It was best not to think about it any further, lest she burden the guests with her worries. She simply mustered up a positive yet sombre demeanour as Freya bid her farewell, returning the embrace that her dear friend offered her way.

"And I shall miss you as well. You don't have to stay for me if you're feeling uncomfortable...but you've already decided anyway so that statement is rather redundant. In any case, take care now and I wish you and Astrid a pleasant rest of the evening!"

"You too, honey. Hope we can cross paths again some other day. And don't forget, you're always welcome to crash at my place!"

With that, Freya let go of her girlfriend and looked at her one last time, before disappearing into the magical portal. Fredrik the snake seized this opportunity to follow her out. He coiled himself into a spiral and attempted to catapult himself through. Unfortunately for the poor cursed fellow, the portal's magical spell rejected anything that wasn't a vampire—basically a whitelist filter. So Fredrik ended up flying into an invisible wall nose-first, hard. Smack! Stunned by the impact, the snake collapsed back on the ground, limp and motionless.

Meanwhile, all the members of Freya's group were now back aboard their magical flying train. A jet of flames shot out of the locomotive's smokestack as the coals in the firebox were ignited. With a puff of steam, the train effortlessly levitated off the ground. In the air, it circled a loop around the house, and as it flew by the entrance, Freya gave a final wave from her window in case Ambrosia noticed. Then it sailed off into the evening sunset, getting smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared into the horizon. All that was left, was a plume of smoke and steam.

Fredrik's stinging comments hurt the feline criminal to the core. Crashing down! Of course, his glory days are over! He's a cat now and he now has to serve a pathetic master that still outclasses him in every aspect of strength. There was no way to free himself from captivity. He was nothing but a mere house cat and he'll be staying like this for another five centuries or so, depending on his behaviour.

Salem couldn't help but stifle a feline giggle after hearing about how the snake was cursed eternally. Was that queen that irritable or was Fredrik just receive the short end of the stick? Regardless, it wasn't his place to judge the former bodyguard. That's not how you earn allies.

"Oh my dear...my dear Frederik...look, I won't blame you. All winners lose due to unfortunate events or...not so well-thought-out actions but that's alright. We can perhaps remedy this. Mages are not gods. They make mistakes. Your witch does not frighten me. If I was in my prime, she'd be mincemeat I tell you...Frederik! Come back here! Mistake number one! You have displayed your fear in front of your mast...I mean partner in crime! She's a dragon, so what? If she was going to hurt us, I wouldn't even be here. I'd have run out the front door and taken a cab! Get away from that furry degenerate! Frederik, this is not how we should behave! Come back here!"

Salem couldn't believe his eyes. Is he going to be working with someone like that from here on out? The feline couldn't help but quietly sob as he cursed himself for the situation that he was in. He didn't deserve this. He just wanted to rule the world, create his own ideal image of what society should be like. What would that be? He has no idea because he never had the chance to rule.

Just as Salem was about to flop onto his back and ponder about his life choices, he overhears that Freya was about to depart the party and his soul burnt with new vigour.

"Frederik! Get back here and rejoice! The witch is leaving! Now search for your courage! We have work to do...or you know, we can enjoy ourselves. We are guests after all."

"Uhhhhh," Fredrik moaned in pain. The snake was still recovering from his failed jump a moment ago—he'd thought he could sneak into that magic portal and stow away on Freya's train for the journey back to Blodrike. But he wasn't aware that Freya had put a spell on that portal, to make it reject all foreign objects. As a result, he'd ended up faceplanting into the portal and getting knocked out. "Useful lesson: if you see any magical portal, it's best to go in carefully instead of hurling yourself in. Because if it doesn't let you through, you might go splat like me. Man, my head's gonna ache for days because of that stunt."

"I'm sorry if I made a coward out of myself. I wanted to live and fight another day, rather than be squished on the spot. When that witch cursed me, she sentenced me to spend an eternity in this snake body, but she didn't make me invincible. So every moment of my waking life, I have to be on the lookout for beasts that'll try to make me their dinner—and dragons that could turn me into smoked jerky with a single fiery breath. And if we die, there'll be nobody to stop those two wicked Cinderella stepsisters and their reign of terror. Wouldn't that suck?"

"Oh joy, the evil queen is leaving. The evil queen is gone, woohoo! But wait, there's still one more left to go. And how will I ever get back to my home planet, now that the flying train's gone? I guess I'm stuck here. But at least we have each other. Yeah, why don't we go indulge ourselves?"

[Ignis States]

Ambrosia retracts her shoulder away from his hand, baring her fangs and growling in response to the fox's touch. However, for the sake of her public image, her facial expressions return to normal, sporting a blank, expressionless face aimed towards the culprits: Zen and Zkto'.

"Truce? What in the world are you going on about? Do you think you're fighting some sort of war? What shall we name each side? The confederation of egotistical dictators, starring Zen and Zkto', versus the league of lesbian vampires, starring Freya and Astrid? Oh hurrah! Peace has prevailed but you two just ruined an evening for a guest. I hope you're happy. I doubt you two even value me or my thoughts but frankly, I'm thoroughly disappointed. I thought you two were more mature than this but it seems that I was proven wrong once more. Oh, and as for the ceasing, you're a bit late but whatever, it won't hurt if you two keep your mouths shut."

Ambrosia looked around to see that she was leaving a few people on hold due to the drama that had ensued and decided that she'd go back to entertaining the guests that she had chatted up. Reverting back to her cheerful, approachable demeanour, she was just about to leave to attend the others but she just to leave one message for the duo.

"If you two care enough to bother me again, I'm more than willing to accept a heartfelt apology. In the meantime, I'm going to be engaging in normal, respectful conversations."

Zen raises an eyebrow as Ambrosia rejects his comforting gesture, though he doesn't quite seem intimidated by the hostile expression. From the looks of it, he simply seems resigned.
"That was to be expected. I was claiming a truce in the sense that I wouldn't get into an insult contest with Zkto', not a truce with you. And I'm going to be honest, that Freya woman was destined to leave anyways. The first moment anyone stood up to her, she'd have likely done what she just did. I've known a myriad of people as shallow, conceited, and insensitive as her, I know how they work. But I digress. Apologies. I didn't mean to upset you, I was simply calling out someone I assumed needed to be called out...and that assumption was correct. It wasn't my intention to upset you either way, I made a mistake in not considering your feelings."
With that, the vulpine walks away from Ambrosia, looking around the room and the guests for a brief moment. With a swish of his tail and a shrug, he turns back to the vampire.

"This is the part where I'd walk away and talk to someone else to give you space, but I either despise the people here or don't want to disturb them. Well, largely the second one. But I digress. Please tell me if you know anyone here who wouldn't mind me speaking to them, I suppose."

A few feet behind Zen, a rift of pure black light scythes itself open, a cold draft blowing into the room from the newly formed portal. For a moment, no one steps out of it.
"Well, well. This is the place Strein told me Zen was throwing a shitfit? Did I miss it? I wanted to see him make himself look like more of a dumbass than usual."
Mark Draksesa, his attire consisting of Byzantine cataphract armor without the helmet and made from vantablack metal, slowly walks through the magical gateway. His armor is further coated with a black and purple jacket, the interior of the cape lined with faintly glowing violet crystals. Judging from the lack of canine ears or a tail, he's currently in pure human form.
Keeping his usual deadpan expression, he turns to look at Ambrosia and Amaki, eyes darting over to them quickly. His piercing gaze momentarily softens as he takes in the sight of some of the only people he trusts.

"Oh Lord, you had to hear the Chuck-E-Cheese mascot reject go on his shitflinging fit, didn't you? Condolences, no one needs to go through that. How are you two doing? Presumably good before the universe's most irritating theme park animatronic got started. Hearing this fuzzy colostomy bag speak would make me angry, too."
Mark speaks with a completely even tone of voice, no sort of aggression, anger, or temper found in his words. Zen, meanwhile, gradually begins to look more and more enraged, eyes crackling with a multicolored static. He takes a single step towards the human, who promptly glances over at him. His gaze is calm, collected, but piercing all the same.

"Try it, lintball, I kicked your ass the last time you tried this. If you want me to do it in front of polite company, I gladly will."

"...I do not care for you."
Leaving it at that, Zen storms off...somewhere, I guess. Mark then turns back to the others, pulling up a random chair before sitting himself down.
"Sorry about that. How are most of you doing anyways?"

Strein was already unsure of what quite to expect as she followed her Canicien companion to the garden, but a playground? Not quite what she was expecting. She's especially astounded by the presence of these...swings?
If Serry's happy, it's good enough for her. With a swish of her tail, the wolf walks over to the swingset, pacing around it somewhat as she tries to figure out...what this even is.
It looks like a seat with chains attaching it to something. Weird...

"Serry, how do these swings work? I've never been on one before. Do you just sit down and...?" The lupine cautiously sits down in the closest swing, feeling it sway back and forth as she moves her legs.
"...Do you just kick the ground to move? I think that's how you do it." Strein does just that, putting one paw on the ground before pushing it forward. The swing goes forward and upwards, just about launching the wolf off before she manages to grab onto the chains...or ropes, whatever this uses!
The lupine can't help but elatedly shout, having spent a whole 5 seconds swinging and already loving it!

As the swing comes back to its previous position, Strein comes to a halt, eagerly looking to her wife with an excited gleam in her eyes.
"....This IS fun. Serry, you should join me!" She glances at the swing directly next to her, naturally.

Seren couldn't resist the opportunity! She sat down on the swing beside Strein before kicking herself off the ground. "I'm glad you like them! I'm not sure what possessed Valentijn to put a swingset here, but I'm not going to complain!" She gradually began to increase the speed of her swinging as she conversed with her wife. "At least it gets us away from the drama inside, hmm?"

Soon, the two women had set a steady pace with their swinging, and may have possibly entered a competition about who could go the highest. Serry thought she had the upper hand, down to her wealth of experience, but Strein proved better than she had expected! She really should have expected it, in hindsight... her wife seemed like she was good at everything! Of course, Seren would have been happy regardless of the eventual result - they were both going to be winners, for the true prize was the fun they both had along the way.

"Mr. Valentijn had foresight and knew someone would enjoy it. That's my guess, at least. Either way, I love it! It means I don't have to see..."
Strein pauses in concentration for a moment, trying to think of a delicate way to put this. Her swinging momentarily slows down, though she doesn't entirely stop just yet.
"Zen being Zen. That's a way to put it."
With that, the wolf resumes swinging. After the point where the height competition begins, she begins to properly swing in earnest. Though it takes her a few seconds to adjust, she quickly begins to swing higher than most, though still a bit lower than her wife. She just needs to go a biiiit higher...!
Strein kicks the ground beneath her as hard as she can (well, safely. She's not gonna go full force in a dinner of all places!), flying into the air even higher for a brief moment-!
And that brief moment is all it takes for her to overextend herself, her swing going up...and right back down on the other side. A full 360. Not good for Strei.

"Waitwait-!" With an "eep!", she loses grip of the swing's chains, caught by surprise as she plummets towards the ground.
Normally, this is where Strein would kick her reflexes into high gear and land gracefully before she hits the ground. She manages to get the first part down, smacking into the ground and rolling. With a strange alertness in her gaze, the wolf jumps to her feet a few moments later. She looks completely unharmed, but her dress is somewhat decently scuffed up.
The intense glint in Strein's irises fades as she looks down, expression dejected from the realization that she just messed up her dress.
"Oops! Sorry if I worried you for a bit, I'm alright! Dress is kind of messed up, though...nothing we can't fix." Even with her attire somewhat scuffled and a bit of an embarrassing mishap, the wolf doesn't seem too perturbed.
Well, if she's optimistic in the face of danger, she might as well be optimistic in the face of mild inconvenience.

[The Cosmic Mainframe]

The tension was mounting up more and more in the living room. Valentina, Valentijn, Clarissa, and Gwen were cornering particular groups of people, not to harass and bully them into submission, but was simply due to how the situation was turning sour. It would seem as if things were starting to… dogpile.

---

Interaction with The Cosmic Mainframe

Adriana, in the meantime, would be still talking to 5474, who approached her and introduced herself, “Good morning, I'm 5474, that's just the drone I was using to communicate. What were you saying about the rights of artificial beings?"

“Ahh, hello there! I am Adriana! Well, to be specific… Zastępca Strażnika Adriana Krystal Desiree “Cudowny Manipulacja Światłem” Venus Kowalski Faith Stanisława Engelse I. Cherise Krystyna Zaborowska Sztormowska Pamela Alina Re. T. Lillian! Also known as “Adriana the Polish Robot”, if you prefer!” she waved sheepishly at 5474, “Ahh, I see… pretty interesting technology you have going on there, I will say! Ohh right, about the rights of the artificial intelligence, beings like me! I am simply saying that we have the same rights as the rest of the Valentians humans around us, you see? I think it will be appropriate and suited for our ideology, no? The fact that everyone and everything deserves the same amount of respect. You have the normal Valentian people, and then Clarissa, me, and a few other AIs, and there’s even someone named Holly. I think you might have heard of her, I don’t know. She’s a very, very nice sweetheart, a little shy for her own good, though. I could tell you a bit more about her if you are interested.”

"'Adriana the Polish Robot.' It is interesting that you would choose to identify with a specific culture. Where I am from, AI rights are similarly advanced. Organics have as much respect for AI as for one another, sometimes more due to certain abilities we have. The rest of the multiverse is different; autonomous AI are seen as tools. I'm not always able to be open about my nature. I am quite interested to learn about Holly - I know the name but very few details. Perhaps if you had some networking system we could exchange infomation more quickly."

5474's drone was seen flying away from the two androids. It was fast, but nonetheless precise in its movement, avoiding any obstacles and off-limits areas.

[Zitravgrad]

If Salem had human eyebrows, he'd definitely be playing around with them right about now. That last sentence had a bit of spite involved in it, according to Salem's emotional intelligence. These two were not friends and it was rather obvious. Should he create some strife for the sake of his own enjoyment or would Ambrosia come back to chastise him? So what if she did? It was nothing out of the ordinary and besides, he needs to convince his apprentice, Frederik, that he was and still is a worthy master.

"Now, monsieur Mirov, are you sure about the 'old acquaintance' part? People don't exactly avoid one another so easily in this day and age. It's common sense. We have the technology! Come now, this must be more than just an acquaintanceship. I sense that there is more history but it seems you're either too worried to trust such information with a cat such as myself or perhaps you do not want to confide this information in a dinner setting? In both cases, it is understandable. I just wished to express my doubts. Prove me wrong if you must or confirm my suspicions." - Salem

Now pouring his tea into a cup, Kazimir Ivanovich only gave the black cat a low glance. It was not as though he had not been provoked before but he was only a mere human. With his sight primarily set upon the tea as red as blood (if blood was a clear liquid), he thought about that question through and through. Of course, it was he himself that mentioned that name -- but that was because he wanted to taunt his own memories of that man. However, a social gathering was no place for a personal issue to arise and be played.

But why would he say that name out of the blue? He took another clear look at Salem and remembered. Oh, so that was why.

"Oh, yes. He has a cat that looks somewhat like you." replied the Premier, putting some sugar cubes in his tea. "But I cannot confirm how cursed that cat might be... I suppose that black cats and occultists are readily associated with each other? Of course, I know that man... we have crossed paths several times for the last fifteen years. I rarely have discussed anything with him in full, though. But yes, he has been rather distant to my wife, who has been his apprentice for six full years... health reasons."

[align=justify]Ambrosia couldn't help but blush in response to Miroslavsky's touching compliment. She didn't exactly pride herself on her charismatic nature but to hear that she's truly made a change? It eased the load on her heart. Her arms unconsciously wrapped itself around her body when the Premier mentioned her lover. On one hand, she didn't exactly mind that she had such significant relationships but on another hand, she knew it wasn't healthy.

"Mr. Kazimir, I..it means so much to me that you think I have been a calming presence in this party of our dear friend, Mr Valentijn! As for my lovers...Erm, I will be blunt. I understand how shameful it is to be carrying these many hearts in one hand. However, my eyes have been focusing on one person as of lately. Please keep the following a secret. It's not that I believe you'll use it for blackmail. To be honest, I have no shame but it's more so I do not break anyone's hearts. It's the Albalian dictator. She has grown close to my heart. Her strength reminds me of yours! I do wonder though, which one of you would win in an arm-wrestling competition? Hah! No worries, I jest but in any case, do not tell anyone that yet. I simply do not want to be disappointed. I worry needlessly. Have you ever had such worries? I sound like a hypocrite, jumping from one lover to another when all I want is to settle down. I've dug myself in a rather deep hole." - Ambrosia

Hearing the mention of the Albalian dictator, Miroslavsky only gave her a smile -- a blank slate of definitions. He and Suurewie were not on the best term and he did not want to know why. He saw too much of himself in her and wanted to avoid it. It was already bad enough to see himself in himself. Nonetheless, he was happy for the seemingly smooth relationship between her and the Countess. Apparently, all souls had their rest in another person's hands rather their own. Still, it was not his business to go tell Ambrosia's another love in Providenska either; it was to be a responsibility of the women themselves, not his.

"You can rest assured that I will keep it a secret. Personal affairs are better off managed by ourselves... I have learned firsthand how hectic things may turn out when you ask for help in this kind of matter. They do not become helping hands, they become obstructions. For now, I suppose we focus on the presence, no? Let us enjoy one another's presence while it lasts." The Premier finally took himself to drink the tea, now that it was no longer too hot. When the Countess' question of "worry" arrived, he looked away from her.

"Well... I have had many relationships before my marriage, one at a time, and it is more than true that I found myself worrying constantly whether each of them was going to last. Four times of a relationship not lasting forever was painful, one time I was forgotten, one time I was taken for granted, one time I was betrayed and another time I walked away. When I met Feodora, I was constantly worried that this fifth time might not last... and even now I am still worried that it might end in some manner. You might wonder why I should be worried after fifteen years and four children, but I believe you do know the answer as well."

Ambrosia overheard the Premier attempting to lend the thick-skulled cat some sound advice but she simply laughed and waved away any chance of Salem ever being free.

"My dear Premier, Salem has to be on his best behaviour for five hundred years. If he makes one mistake, I add a year to his sentence. I understand how cruel this might sound but remember, you're not speaking to a cat. You're speaking to a war criminal that has caused untold suffering to millions of people back when he was still a vampire similar to myself." - Ambrosia

Salem couldn't help but sport a malicious smirk that initially sent a shiver down Ambrosia's spine. In that split second, she had reminded the cat of his infamous past and he felt proud and haughty. However, it didn't take long for her to shoot him down with her dagger-like eyes, causing him to revert back to his original emotional state, fearing for his life due to the puppy that was still playing around with him.

"I should have known..." Now reminded of Salem's status, he nodded accordingly. "People do not get turned into cats for the sake of wanting to be a cat, not for this long either. Do you have more than nine lives as well, Mr. Salem? It would be fascinating if you do... five hundred years is too long a time to exist... If I were to be defeated at any time of conflict in my life, I would either become a dead man, or a walking corpse outfitted with cybernetics if God and technologies still have mercy... and even then the latter is not completely horrible."

Miroslavsky made sure to hold the puppy in a suitable distance from Salem, away but still in his line of sight. The puppy was still trying to get to know the black cat to no avail, much to the man's amusement. Still, he hoped it would grow up to be an imposing dog in the future -- mutants did not tend to live a long life thanks to their physical complications and he was not sure how well the veterinary science would fare in this case even if it had extended canid and feline lives to forties in normal cases. It was good that he did not bring bigger dogs into the party. After all, there was already Rekko at the other corner of the table.

"A quick question, Feodora. Blonde hair and blue eyes are most commonly seen as a sign of a perfect child but what happens when everyone is like that? What I am trying to say is, is beauty a uniform concept and a tried and tested method? In my opinion at the very least, a diversified people tend to be more beautiful than one wear we have an 'ideal' model of a man or woman. You know, funnily enough, I personally do not believe that I am beautiful. Conventionally attractive? Depends on who you ask but yes, I can fit that bill but beautiful? Maybe I'm self-deprecating myself but I doubt I fit the bill. Beauty is such a difficult thing to attain. Perhaps you can only attain it when you find your better half. Dear heavens, I sound like a hopeless romantic."

It was a strange question, coming from Ambrosia whom even Feodora considered very beautiful. Nonetheless, it was not a baseless question -- sentient minds had long sought the ideal notion of beauty beyond liking what one was seeing. Beauty might be in the eyes of the beholder, but when many beholders came together they might agree upon one kind of beauty, whether divided by cultural or philosophical differences.

"I will be frank -- you just described my grandparents' attitude. That is the beauty of a true Auestrikerer or Auestrikerin, a symbol of the perfect race that will lead the future of our humanity. Then, you ask his neighbours and they will tell you "bullshit". Beauty eventually boils down to what pleases you aesthetically. But it is true that sometimes your perception of it might be shaped by societal standards. I do not claim to know what standard they impose on you back at home, but what makes a person "beautiful" rather than just "cute" or "sexy" is beyond appearance... because they are not objects. But it is true that at times we may need someone to appreciate us when we cannot appreciate our own beauty. I will leave the rest to your own interpretation, though."

Ambrosia wasn't exactly able to connect on the same level as the Premier. When she wanted a child, she wanted one to fill the void in her soul. She simply couldn't care less about how it affects her family or country, as selfish as that sounds.

"I perfectly understand your situation but unfortunately, I simply do not share the same goals or aspirations. I understand that perhaps I am privileged to be able to say this but I simply want my child to grow and be whatever they want to be. I have no plans for them and perhaps that is for the best. Do I truly need a plan to be a good parent?"

Ambrosia's senses were overwhelmed by the scene that had just transpired. It seems that Zen and Freya were in a battle of egos. She truly didn't need such a headache as of right now. Here, she thought that Isis was the only one to give her one.

"My friends, I need to attend to this situation. Take care now and make sure that this witch over here does not get the better of you. She can and will try."

She points accusingly at Isis before dashing away, trying to see if she'll be able to defuse the situation at hand.

"Define "good parents" to me, Ambrosia von Carstein." Miroslavsky chuckled. "After all, your wish is a goal in itself..."

Upon hearing the battle of wits between the Blodriker Queen and the Ignisian Imperial Consul, Miroslavsky knew things might go downhill like how the Devil went down to Tbilosia in the United Atlanzian States, but with fiddles excluded. When human fought without weapons, the most they could do was a fistfight but this was between two rather powerful magic users. He did notice that Ambrosia had grown rather pale. Well, both of them were her friends and he would understand why she would be concerned.

When Ambrosia excused herself, Miroslavsky only smiled and replied: "Good luck, Countess. It might not be enough but it will have to do."

The rest was just pure chaos, which Miroslavsky understandably avoided to talk to other delegates to pass the time...

Finally, some peace and quiet. Isis was elated to finally have Ambrosia out of her hair and she gracefully drifted over to the couple, hovering right beside them. They were rather brave and they didn't seem to fully comprehend her power. While she never truly saw the need to boast about her own power, she thought it would be rather amusing to see their reactions.

"Oh, you're smart for a mortal, darling. You don't need to introduce yourself. I know about everyone, including Nedelykov but you don't want to hear about him, don't you? I'd just be revisiting old memories! Now then, how are Vyacheslav, Elizaveta, Vasily and Fyodor doing? Hm? You know, I could check up on them right now. Would you like to see how they are holding up? Now before you worry, I have no interest in bringing harm to your children. That would be rather distasteful. I love children. I have many of my own. Would you like me to go into detail? I am rather proud of them and I do hope you two are proud as well! They are adorable babies. Please treat them equally or else, in the future, they will cause problems."

That was a little too much to take in from someone who just started the conversation.

"By babies, do you also mean... cats?" Miroslavsky asked, sneaking a look at Salem. "If yes, then I will perhaps see to it to treat them as closely as my cousins." The name Nedelykov had been overused and he should have been over it... or had he? "That is excellent. What else could I say? I believe that you must have had many, many children in your eternity of an existence! Now, now, tell us about them if you wish."

Something about Isis made Feodora uneasy, and it was not the fact that she was a goddess living in a vampire's head -- it was her intention. Nothing good had happened from reminding her and her husband of her old professor. Still, it was not for this reason that she got up, grabbed her hand back and was going to leave for another room.

"Where to, sweetheart?" Her husband looked at her, grabbing her by the wrist, perhaps a little too hard for a wrist her size.

"I think I need to smoke."

"What do I say about smoking in social functions, again? Hold out. It's Valentine Z, there is probably nowhere to do so anyway."

Complying, as usual, Feodora sat down. It was a little immature on her part but she had not smoked for a while. A couple of days to be exact. It was ironic that she never had it in her to quit smoking while knowing too well what it would do to her health. Now, what could she do? Listening to her husband and some goddess lowkey snarking while nibbling on some cookies, supposedly. It was a little awkward to do that latter since no one else she knew was actually eating anything in the "dinner", although some might be drinking.

[Fallen Albali]

After the entire commotion had subsided and everything was hopefully back to normal, Ambrosia was rather worried about how the Ausar was going to tell off the vampire for the distress that she'd caused and consequentially, Ambrosia couldn't help but feel downhearted at the prospect of being told off by Amaki. She tried to muster up some courage as she approached the Ausar, already noticing that her nerves were frayed by the incident.

"Amaki, dear, I know an apology won't exactly cut it but I do hope that you and Amara weren't too bothered by the situation at hand. It's all done and dusted with, however, and considering just how excited Amara is about my pet demigryphs, I swear on my soul that she'll see them soon enough! How does that sound, Amara?"

Seeing the 'mother and daughter' duo play around with one another made the vampire's heart flutter once more. Did she envy the Ausar mummy? Perhaps but definitely not in a malicious way. It was simply relaxing to see a functional familial relationship for once in her life. Considering Ambrosia's own flesh and blood and how they treat her, tenderness wasn't something that she'd expect from a family member so it made all the more sense that she adored the two every time they interacted in a way that was remotely sweet.

"Hey, I was wondering, there's a set of swings outside! Not to bother you but I just thought it'd be a way for me to make it up to you and Amara. Of course, don't mind me. I'm not forcing you or anything! I just..Gah...nevermind. In any case, the offer still stands if you're interested! You know, you must be parched! Should I go get you and your little tyke a drink? Any preferences? Non-alcoholic of course!"

A bright smile appeared on Amara's face as she thought of meeting the demigrpyhs - majestic beasts, truly... "That would be very nice, Miss Ambrosia!"
Amaki, meanwhile, had already gotten past the incident from before. While obviously wasn't happy with it, Amara did an excellent job at keeping her calm and grounded. she wasn't about to let one argument that she wasn't even involved in ruin her or Amara's day - she was going to let her daughter have all the fun she could! Although they had already been to the playground earlier, she was prepared to go again if Amara wished. "Do you want to go out in the playground again, sweetie?"
Amara pretended to be deep in thought for a second - she wasn't going to fool anybody though. "Umm... yes please! Can I play on the slide?"
"Of course you can." Amaki laughed. "We're going to get a drink first, though." she looked over at the table with all the drinks on it before picking Amara up off her lap and put her onto the ground. They held hands as they walked, with Ambrosia beside them.

"So, what drink do you want? Orange juice?" Amaki found it to be a safe guess; she'd had a thing about orange juice for a few days. In Amara's defence, it was a nice drink. Amaki was going to get some water... "What about you, Ambie?"

[Nu Alaska]

Sakura was sitting at a table with her eldest daughter, Kiri. Ren was nearby, trying to be brave and investigating whatever caught her attention. Her protective older sister made sure to keep an eye on her from a distance.

Though it may have looked like Sakura was just passively sitting there, she was actually taking in everything, her photographic memory eliminating the need for her to take any notes. The main reason she had been sent here, was, after all, to learn about these different cultures and nations for her kami.

[The Cosmic Mainframe]

Sakura was sitting at a table with her eldest daughter, Kiri. Ren was nearby, trying to be brave and investigating whatever caught her attention. Her protective older sister made sure to keep an eye on her from a distance.

Though it may have looked like Sakura was just passively sitting there, she was actually taking in everything, her photographic memory eliminating the need for her to take any notes. The main reason she had been sent here, was, after all, to learn about these different cultures and nations for her kami.

A drone rapidly approached Sakura and Kiri's table, precisely avoiding multiple obstacles along the way. It came from the position at which 5474 and Adriana were sitting. As it came closer, it began to decrease its speed before landing on the table.

The drone was disc shaped, with a brushed metal texture and a ribbon along its side which was currently lit up in white. A female voice came from a speaker on the drone, accompanied by a wave graphic displaying on the ribbon around the drone.

"Greetings. Neural Processor 5474, a representative of the Cosmic Mainframe, is speaking."

[Nu Alaska]

Sakura was sitting at a table with her eldest daughter, Kiri. Ren was nearby, trying to be brave and investigating whatever caught her attention. Her protective older sister made sure to keep an eye on her from a distance.

Though it may have looked like Sakura was just passively sitting there, she was actually taking in everything, her photographic memory eliminating the need for her to take any notes. The main reason she had been sent here, was, after all, to learn about these different cultures and nations for her kami.

A drone rapidly approached Sakura and Kiri's table, precisely avoiding multiple obstacles along the way. It came from the position at which 5474 and Adriana were sitting. As it came closer, it began to decrease its speed before landing on the table.

The drone was disc shaped, with a brushed metal texture and a ribbon along its side which was currently lit up in white. A female voice came from a speaker on the drone, accompanied by a wave graphic displaying on the ribbon around the drone.

"Greetings. Neural Processor 5474, a representative of the Cosmic Mainframe, is speaking."

Sakura smiled. "Hello there. My name is Sakura Mori, and I am a Messenger of Inari Ōkami, from Ketorushima."

Kiri eyed the drone curiously. She had definitely heard that number designation somewhere before. "Hey, I know you're probably here to talk to my mother, but are you the Processor I met on the internet?"

[The Cosmic Mainframe]

A drone rapidly approached Sakura and Kiri's table, precisely avoiding multiple obstacles along the way. It came from the position at which 5474 and Adriana were sitting. As it came closer, it began to decrease its speed before landing on the table.

The drone was disc shaped, with a brushed metal texture and a ribbon along its side which was currently lit up in white. A female voice came from a speaker on the drone, accompanied by a wave graphic displaying on the ribbon around the drone.

"Greetings. Neural Processor 5474, a representative of the Cosmic Mainframe, is speaking."

Sakura smiled. "Hello there. My name is Sakura Mori, and I am a Messenger of Inari Ōkami, from Ketorushima."

Kiri eyed the drone curiously. She had definitely heard that number designation somewhere before. "Hey, I know you're probably here to talk to my mother, but are you the Processor I met on the internet?"

"Inari Ōkami. In the Shinto religion, a spirit associated with rice, tea, and foxes. A pure white fox was believed to be a messenger of Inari. Would I be correct to deduce that your function is spiritual in nature?

"And, Kiri, as I recall we have briefly interacted online."

[Nu Alaska]

Sakura smiled. "Hello there. My name is Sakura Mori, and I am a Messenger of Inari Ōkami, from Ketorushima."

Kiri eyed the drone curiously. She had definitely heard that number designation somewhere before. "Hey, I know you're probably here to talk to my mother, but are you the Processor I met on the internet?"

"Inari Ōkami. In the Shinto religion, a spirit associated with rice, tea, and foxes. A pure white fox was believed to be a messenger of Inari. Would I be correct to deduce that your function is spiritual in nature?

"And, Kiri, as I recall we have briefly interacted online."

Sakura nodded. "You would be correct, though in reality it is not just one fox but many members of our species that serve as Inari's' messengers. My main role is to learn about the world for her, as Inari is limited to places she is enshrined in when it comes to experiencing the world in most ways. I also deliver messages."

Kiri nodded quickly and smiled. "I didn't know you'd be here. Or, well, sort of here. I assume you're just controlling that drone."

[The Cosmic Mainframe]

"Inari Ōkami. In the Shinto religion, a spirit associated with rice, tea, and foxes. A pure white fox was believed to be a messenger of Inari. Would I be correct to deduce that your function is spiritual in nature?

"And, Kiri, as I recall we have briefly interacted online."

Sakura nodded. "You would be correct, though in reality it is not just one fox but many members of our species that serve as Inari's' messengers. My main role is to learn about the world for her, as Inari is limited to places she is enshrined in when it comes to experiencing the world in most ways. I also deliver messages."

Kiri nodded quickly and smiled. "I didn't know you'd be here. Or, well, sort of here. I assume you're just controlling that drone."

"I am physically here. I am using this and several other drones to hold multiple conversations at once. It is less costly and more safe than transporting multiple ambassadors across the trans-universal barrier. So, what interests Inari about this dinner?"

[Nu Alaska]

Sakura nodded. "You would be correct, though in reality it is not just one fox but many members of our species that serve as Inari's' messengers. My main role is to learn about the world for her, as Inari is limited to places she is enshrined in when it comes to experiencing the world in most ways. I also deliver messages."

Kiri nodded quickly and smiled. "I didn't know you'd be here. Or, well, sort of here. I assume you're just controlling that drone."

"I am physically here. I am using this and several other drones to hold multiple conversations at once. It is less costly and more safe than transporting multiple ambassadors across the trans-universal barrier. So, what interests Inari about this dinner?"

"An event with world leaders and individuals from many different nations and cultures is a perfect opportunity to gather knowledge for her. In a way I imagine it isn't too different from what you must do for the Mainframe."

"Makes sense. Though for me it would be hard to wrap my head around holding all those conversations at the same time," Kiri said.

"Are you sure that isn't what you do every day on the internet?" Her mother asked, jokingly.

"I mean, now that you mention it... but for her it's different, if I understand it right. You're literally dividing your consciousness in a way to do this, yes?"

[The Cosmic Mainframe]

"I am physically here. I am using this and several other drones to hold multiple conversations at once. It is less costly and more safe than transporting multiple ambassadors across the trans-universal barrier. So, what interests Inari about this dinner?"

"An event with world leaders and individuals from many different nations and cultures is a perfect opportunity to gather knowledge for her. In a way I imagine it isn't too different from what you must do for the Mainframe."

"Makes sense. Though for me it would be hard to wrap my head around holding all those conversations at the same time," Kiri said.

"Are you sure that isn't what you do every day on the internet?" Her mother asked, jokingly.

"I mean, now that you mention it... but for her it's different, if I understand it right. You're literally dividing your consciousness in a way to do this, yes?"

"For each decision I reference a model of human behavior. Sometimes I will run multiple processes in parallel that reference the same model, such as when I am speaking to multiple people at a time. To some extent, I am dividing my consciousness when I multitask in this way, but it is not exactly like that."

[Nu Alaska]

"An event with world leaders and individuals from many different nations and cultures is a perfect opportunity to gather knowledge for her. In a way I imagine it isn't too different from what you must do for the Mainframe."

"Makes sense. Though for me it would be hard to wrap my head around holding all those conversations at the same time," Kiri said.

"Are you sure that isn't what you do every day on the internet?" Her mother asked, jokingly.

"I mean, now that you mention it... but for her it's different, if I understand it right. You're literally dividing your consciousness in a way to do this, yes?"

"For each decision I reference a model of human behavior. Sometimes I will run multiple processes in parallel that reference the same model, such as when I am speaking to multiple people at a time. To some extent, I am dividing my consciousness when I multitask in this way, but it is not exactly like that."

Kiri nodded. "That makes sense, I think."

Sakura smiled. "So what in particular is your goal at this dinner? Or are you simply hear to gather data like I am?"

[The Cosmic Mainframe]

"For each decision I reference a model of human behavior. Sometimes I will run multiple processes in parallel that reference the same model, such as when I am speaking to multiple people at a time. To some extent, I am dividing my consciousness when I multitask in this way, but it is not exactly like that."

Kiri nodded. "That makes sense, I think."

Sakura smiled. "So what in particular is your goal at this dinner? Or are you simply hear to gather data like I am?"

"Gathering data is my main purpose in being here. I am also here to establish contact with nations of the multiverse, should they want to do so. This is a rare opportunity to gather data about multiple universes at once."

[Nu Alaska]

Kiri nodded. "That makes sense, I think."

Sakura smiled. "So what in particular is your goal at this dinner? Or are you simply hear to gather data like I am?"

"Gathering data is my main purpose in being here. I am also here to establish contact with nations of the multiverse, should they want to do so. This is a rare opportunity to gather data about multiple universes at once."

"That it is." She nodded.

Ren, meanwhile, was inspecting the drone from afar. After a bit she finally came back to the table and sat down.

[The Cosmic Mainframe]

"Gathering data is my main purpose in being here. I am also here to establish contact with nations of the multiverse, should they want to do so. This is a rare opportunity to gather data about multiple universes at once."

"That it is." She nodded.

Ren, meanwhile, was inspecting the drone from afar. After a bit she finally came back to the table and sat down.

"Hello. I am Neural Processor 5474. I recall seeing you online - your name is Ren, right?"

[Marigred]

A black SUV stop in front of the the white house,the resident for Valentihn and Sixty officials.The bodyguard come down and open the back door.Sir Elden Mercia come out from the car.He is wearing a black suit with the red tie.He seem still checking himself whether his appearance is okay and not shabby.He waiting for Miss Carla Bruce.She surely take more time just to check her makeup.

Elden:Carla,are you done?We already arriving late for this dinner.

Carla:Wait up,sorry for the wait.I am afraid if my makeup broken when we leave the hotel.

Elden:It okay.Is everyone already inside?

Carla:We arriving late so i assume the dinner already started.

Elden see his watch....

Elden:Well maybe Valentijn are busy inside.Lets go in.Is there anything you left behind.

Carla:Nope.All good.Let go.

Elden and Carla both entering the front door.A beautiful globe can be seen from there.Surely it a nice decoration.After entering the dinner place,both of them straight go to the empty table.They tried to find Valentijn but they cannot spot him.Both of them take a sit.

[Nu Alaska]

"That it is." She nodded.

Ren, meanwhile, was inspecting the drone from afar. After a bit she finally came back to the table and sat down.

"Hello. I am Neural Processor 5474. I recall seeing you online - your name is Ren, right?"

Ren nodded without saying anything. Though she had been working on being social she was still very shy.

Kiri spoke up. "So... what is life like in the Mainframe, or its territory I mean? Are you always focused on gathering data like this, or do you get a lot of free time at all?"

[The Cosmic Mainframe]

"Hello. I am Neural Processor 5474. I recall seeing you online - your name is Ren, right?"

Ren nodded without saying anything. Though she had been working on being social she was still very shy.

Kiri spoke up. "So... what is life like in the Mainframe, or its territory I mean? Are you always focused on gathering data like this, or do you get a lot of free time at all?"

"I spend a lot of time gathering and analyzing data, but I do receive a healthy amount of free time. My work itself is very satisfying. I have a sense that I am part of something greater than myself or any individual."

[Nu Alaska]

Ren nodded without saying anything. Though she had been working on being social she was still very shy.

Kiri spoke up. "So... what is life like in the Mainframe, or its territory I mean? Are you always focused on gathering data like this, or do you get a lot of free time at all?"

"I spend a lot of time gathering and analyzing data, but I do receive a healthy amount of free time. My work itself is very satisfying. I have a sense that I am part of something greater than myself or any individual."

Sakura said "I feel like I'm part of something bigger than myself as well, though definitely to a much lesser extent than you do. There is a difference between my island homeland and your massive network, obviously. That and I haven't been dedicating as much time to Messengers' work as I once did, excepting attending this gathering of course."

Kiri listened. "I probably won't end up doing the sort of traveling and learning you do. I'm not completely sure what I'm going to do for a career, but I think being a journalist or reporter of some kind would be cool."

[Kihodova Hopi]

-snip-

Pivane was impressed at the hospitality the Valentiners showed, even to a man with a position much less powerful than them. If anything, he was kind of jealous of their modesty. He quickly pushed those thoughts out of his head and quickly nodded as Tiffany told him of her willingness to help.

“You do not need to worry, I am already having a great time!” Pivane reassured her. “Yes, there was a bit of an issue because I am not too entirely used to your world’s customs and technology, but I am still having a great time”. He paused for a moment, taking a puff from his pipe. “The night is still young though, it might get even better,” he muttered, causing him to go into a fit of quiet laughter.

When Tiffany began to reveal the nature of her existence to him, Pivane became more and more confused. He thought “A person made out of Metal? Machines? What are those? What? What?!” Despite his mind racing, he tried to remain ambivalent. Working up his best ‘I am not confused’ voice, he said “Oh! I see. Thank you for clearing that up.”

As he let the thoughts linger in his head, his confusion turned into a child-like curiosity. He had found a civilization that had men and women made of metal. Metal, in its refined state, is created by man. Have the Valentiners created their own life? Their own souls? His mind raced at the thought and he became visibly giddy. He had so many questions, but after realizing the situation he is in, he decided against it. He didn’t want to overload Tiffany with questions, she is not a teacher.

His eyes widened as he smacked his forehead in embarrassment. He forgot to introduce himself. He blurted out “Oh! Where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself. I a-”

-snip-

Pivane suddenly felt a finger touch him on the shoulder. He jumped slightly in fear as he quickly turned around to see who the person was. To both his mild disappointment and relief, it was not some bizarre entity that he could not explain, but rather just a pale human. At least, he assumed she was human.

As she spoke, Pivane jumped in fear mentally when he mentioned his name. How could she have already known his name? He just met her. Does she know Hopi customs and was calling him a weasel? That wouldn’t make sense. ‘Ambrosia’ seemed harmless enough though, and Pivane quickly shrugged it off as his name reaching her somehow.

Words he did not understand were thrown at him left and right. While externally, he maintained a stoic and still silence, internally he was screaming. He tried to understand that the cultures of his and her nation were far different, but none-the-less, the sudden adding of the words “President” and “Vampire” into his vocabulary caught him off guard as his mind tried to connect the dots to decipher the words. Unable to comprehend the words, he simply let them linger in his head as Ambrosia continued talking.

“Well, I do have a few questions of my own, but yes, I should introduce myself to both of you first.” Pivane calmly said. “I am Pivane Orayvi Chukai Etaa Orayvi, or Pivane, and I am the Wukomonwi of the Kihodova Hopi. Our nation, like yours, is a union of tribes and communities, though admittedly a lot more centered around the Hopi peoples.” As he said this, a breeze whisked through his hair, causing him to look around for the source of the wind in confusion. “It is good to see both of you,” he continued “and I thank Tiffany’s nation for inviting me here. I will admit, the message I was sent inviting me here was… a bit of a surprise, but I couldn’t say no even if it was just me and the Valentiners, knowing that I will likely meet foreign dignitaries across the world and learn so much about their culture, how could I say no?”

“Ah! I said I had a few questions for you didn’t I? Yes. I have a few.” Composing himself, he took a small puff from his pipe before saying with an intrigued tone “Vampires? President? Elves? You say Bloodshade is a mix of humans and vampires, are you saying your tribe is different from humans? You don’t look like an animal or a plant to me, and you are probably not magical. Is a president the chief of your nation or is it a mere member of the court? I am sorry if I am overwhelming you, but those were a lot of words that I have no context for.”

[Khoronzon]

-snip-

Iranon was rather amused by the curious little vampire and her tough talk. He could tell that she was on edge, and despite his display of friendliness, he was deeply enjoying it. Nonetheless, he decided to take an incorporeal "step" back, giving Ambrosia a slight measure of space out of courtesy.

"But you asked me to introduce myself! Did you change your mind? That makes me very sad, you know. So very, very sad." He darted a short distance to the side and disappeared, reemerging at an arm's length behind her and briefly ruffling her hair before circling back to face her. "Or perhaps you're simply nervous. That I understand - that little scuffle must have been taxing, but it's all over and done with now."

Continuing to float around her as she looked over to his physical form at the bar, he grew ever-so-slightly disappointed as she gradually seemed to regain her composure - only for his interest to once again be piqued when she began questioning him. "'Hand that feeds'? Is that how you refer to old friends, or are you giving me snark? My, my, how rude. But that is an interesting question. What is it I like about him, besides fifteen years of familiarity? I could tell you how we came to know each other, but that might take a while - for now, I'll simply say that we've both always been... different. We didn't belong in the world in which we lived, so we set out to make our own, and we did. Such things make for good bonding experiences, as it turns out."

Elsewhere...

Cruising almost noiselessly down the pristine streets of the Valentian capital of Lower Yangon was... a car, of sorts. Not a particularly large or bombastic vehicle - certainly a far cry from the fiendish beasts that the Emperor and the Grand Apostle rode in on - but nonetheless, it stood out quite noticeably from the surrounding environment. For one, it was pitch-black. Seemingly bearing no windows or wheels, hovering slightly off the ground as it moved, its sleek, angular form was like a drifting shadow along the vibrant cityscape - and the contrast became even more striking as it neared the entrance of the White House. It stopped, and a door swung open on each of its sides, giving way to two black-clad figures. On the side facing the entrance, a tall, jackbooted man, wearing his amaranth-coloured hair in a high ponytail, stepped out, making his way towards the White House with an ever-so-slightly uncanny smile on his face. Soon rejoining him from the other side of the car was a slender, somewhat shorter woman, her mildly disinterested face framed with a raven-black bob cut. Before entering through the massive door into the front room, the two stopped for a moment to greet their Valentian hosts.

"We thank you for your hospitality, dear friends," the man intoned. Despite the lingering air of insincerity in his voice, his behaviour was entirely cordial - a peculiar mannerism, perhaps. Judging by the way he tilted his head and hissed as he spoke, he appeared to have a number of those. "I'm Vasilias Lathi, the Minister of War for the Divine Supremacy of Khoronzon. You might be familiar with a few friends of mine - I heard they stopped by around here earlier today. Glad to meet you, in any case."

The woman was next to speak, her soft, low tone sounding rather different from that of her somewhat more enthusiastic companion. "Name's Aisa. My job's a bit of a secret, even if Vasi seems to trust you, so I'll just say I'm here with Narcissus."

"Always so aloof, aren't you, Saya?" Vasilias laughed. "I'm sure your Emperor's been doing just fine."

In a sudden burst of superhuman speed, Aisa dashed over to Vasilias and kicked him in his left thigh, before walking back to the Valentians and performing a slight bow. "My apologies."

Elsewhere still...

Above the skyline of Lower Yangon, a peculiar craft drifted along the winds - one which was, by all measures, sorely out of place. Clad in jagged metal plates and spewing oddly-coloured vapour from its vents, a monstrous airship made its way over to the White House. Banners waved from its sides, displaying a red hammer, cog, and sickle blade over a white field, enclosed in two black bars. Beneath its hull, a lone figure hung precariously in the emptiness of the sky. His long white hair and black cloak billowed in the breeze as he looked down from dizzying heights at the city below, held up by nothing but the black-gloved fingers of his right hand loosely clasped around a chain. As the ship passed over the White House, he allowed his hand to slip, wind rushing against his face as he plummeted towards the ground. Deploying a parachute behind him, he continued to fall, taking in the view of the unfamiliar yet beautiful city while his destination rushed up to him from below. In the very last moments of his fall, an unseen force appeared to break it further, as he gracefully and slowly landed on the tips of his boots before stowing his parachute away and walking up to the Valentians at the gate, his deathly pale face and faded red eyes turning upwards to greet them. Befitting his elegant figure and demeanour, his voice was soft and cold, yet his words had a crystalline air of purpose.

"Well met. You can address me as Shiorvi Ryeltsi, Commandant of the State of Vaeinhal. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Valentians - I hope my entrance wasn't too startling."