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

[-Astoria]

[OOC: Apologies if the following post is a little on the confusing side; it's been quite some time since I last actually did an RP, so please bear with me.]

A small silver sedan purred into a parking lot a few metres away from the residence, and a rather nondescript one, and a vehicle certainly sticking out like a sore, bland thumb amongst the other flamboyant vehicles present in the lot.

It was almost like a random citizen happened to enter by accident, as the sedan showed no distinctive markings, if one discounts the bonnet-mounted flagpole with the Astorian flag on it. However, the driver of this vehicle was no ordinary person, at least in the general scheme of things, as this person was Robert Paisley, who just happened to be Prime Minister of Astoria.

'Havdul kakonn, how long does it take just to persuade the embassy staff to let me arrive at this banquet without an escort? Nobody needs it anymore, and I certainly have no use for it - it's not like I'm about to declare war, or something.', Robert said, while attempting to lock the car with an increasingly flimsy key fob.

A short walk to the White House managed to replace most of the earlier irritation with sheer awe, as he entered the front door. 'You sure I haven't just gone back to the airport or something?', he thought to himself. 'Eh, don't knock it yet - you only just got here, remember.'

Not particularly wishing to stick out like a sore thumb amongst the guests, Robert decided to join one of the groups, spotting a man in rather flamboyant royal garb, and another person. He decided to move towards them in a discreet manner.

'Hi there - I don't think we've met before. I'm Robert Paisley, Prime Minister of Astoria. And you are...?'

[Uvoan]

Amara sat down on the ground with her legs crossed, before petting the mysterious talking kitty. She stroked him between his ears. Meanwhile, her mother and the nice new lady continued to talk.
"Ambrosia, I really am not as sweet as she is; all of us know it." she looked down at her child and her new feline 'friend' fondly. She wouldn't say it, but she secretly enjoyed her little verbal fencing match with that cat; it was certainly an experience to remember. "But still... uh... thank you, Ambrosia."

The emotions coming from Ambrosia calling her a 'pretty good mummy' was like being hit by a truck. Amaki had always known that she had been a good parent, but this was pretty much the first time she had heard someone else say it. Despite her best efforts, fer face betrayed some emotion, curling into a small and genuine smile. Amaki looked down at her child again, then Ambrosia (who had locked her arm with Amaki's own), before looking towards the house. "Shall we?" she asked.

Zkto', having noted the chain of events, rolls his eyes lightly. Might as well start with someone whose atleast with a child... Even if it is a uh... Fox? Dog? Abovur? He turned, and starting walking over. A brisk step soon carrying him roughly within ear-shot, as he looked at the two. "Fine night for a dinner, no?" He glances at the child, before glancing back at the adult. "I'm Zkto' Zovban, and you would be...?" He extends his hand, for a hand-shake...

[The Inkopolitian State]

María grabbed the picture and squinted her eyes, and examined multiple parts of the image. Something caught her attention, as indicated by her pointing at that strip of land in South America.

"W-What? Where's Klein-Venedig or the Spanish colony of East Venezuela?" She looked back up to the Sovereign. "This is part of the "dimensions" subject, yes? Well, where I come from, that piece of land in South America was divided between Inkopolitia, German Venezuela and Spanish East Venezuela. I assume that the territories marked here weren't owned by the British, yes?"

"Ah. Well, you see, it was handed over to us by the German Empire in the First world War after we kicked their ass at the Battle of the St. Lawrence. That was...Plenty of time ago. Now, everything you see on that map belongs to Quebec. We also..well..Put britain back at their place in 1920, leading them to have a republican Revolution and chopping off their monarch's head like they were in Paris."

The French Revolution Joke was real.

María grew more interested in what the Sovereign had to say. After all, she always had an odd nature when it came to history. She loved history so much, that one of the main factors that pushed her to initiate her revolution in Inkopolitia was because she wanted to see the history of the Nation changed, for the better, of course.

She also chuckled at how the British got treated after the conflict in 1920.

"I mean, mister... they're the British. They do not deserve such compassion... after all, I saw how Inkopolitians all across the territory got mistreated, abused, and even enslaved by British military officers and such... I do not know how Inkopolitia is faring, since, well... I perished, but I hope that the Inkopolitians finally broke off of their chains. I wish the British nation also ceased to exist, but that's just the best-case scenario."

[Blodrike]

Ambrosia chuckled seeing Astrid come to the rescue of a struggling Frøya. Still, Ambrosia couldn't help but feel distressed at Frøya's inability to count.

"Well, I'm rather glad your Chief is always there to have your back...Frøya, you know if you ever want help with mathematics, you could just ask little ol' me! Believe it or not, I'm a well known tutor for college students back home but don't worry, I'd never charge you! It'd already be delightful to teach ya...Wait a second, have you never thought about asking Astrid?"

Ambrosia watched as Frøya and Astrid summoned their two oddly named pets. She cocked her head slightly upon witnessing Astrid's pet owl, Googolplex's, being able to do basic mathematics. Ambrosia then shifted her eyes to Salem in the hopes that his competitive spirit could be roused up but Salem decided that now was the best time to groom himself while resting on her shoulder. He looked up to see Ambrosia having an irked expression on her face, wondering what he did to deserve.

Salem: "Hey, you don't see Frøya pressuring her pet to be a one trick pony like that other meal...I mean, owl. Can't you be more like her? "

Ambrosia ignored Salem and instead thought about Frøya's request, wondering how in the world Salem could even talk in the first place. Ambrosia wasn't exactly Salem's first owner and the curse was laid upon him by the mage's guild of Bloodshade, decades ago. She was simply forced to care for Salem when she was elected as 'Countess' of Bloodshade.

Ambrosia: "So if I'm understanding you well enough, you wanna talk to your lovely little pet? First of all, are you sure you'd wanna talk to your own pet? Second of all, I can't exactly remember the spell that allowed Salem to speak as a cat. You know, he wasn't born as a cat. He was cursed and transformed a cat for his crimes against humanity but don't worry, I'm sure he's sane after all these centuries. You're not interested in world domination anymore, are you Salem?"

Salem: "Yes...I mean no! No! Of course not, that was just a slip of the tongue. Let's change the subject please. Now, onto more juicy topics that won't result in me having to serve more time as a cat. Frøya, what in the world made you think dating Ambrosia would be a good idea?"

Freya listened as Ambrosia told her all about her brief stint as a math tutor in her college days. Herself, she believed that academia was quite a useless endeavor. After all, Blodrike was mostly a hunter-gatherer society, where even reading and writing were optional. So she found it incredible that others would voluntarily swim into a sea of numbers, Greek letters and funny symbols, let alone enjoy it. At least, that was her own view. But Freya knew that university meant a lot to Ambrosia, and didn't want to hurt her feelings. So she politely declined Ambrosia's offer to teach her math.

"It's so sweet that you want to teach me," she said. "But I'll have to pass on this offer. I've tried it before and it didn't work, so I've pretty much accepted that math isn't my thing and nothing's gonna change that. Thus it's for the best, that I stop torturing myself with this. After all, I didn't live..." *glances at Astrid*

Astrid: *checks her pocket watch* "One thousand, one hundred and thirty-nine summers and winters."

"... just to stress myself to death over numbers." *to Astrid* "Thanks again, Computer!"

With that out of the way, Freya turned towards the talking black cat to hear what he had to say. But before that, Ambrosia told her that Salem was actually a human who'd been trapped in cat form by a spell cast upon him. Obviously, Freya wanted to free him from the curse, and she was confident that her own magic would be powerful enough to reverse the original spell. But she quickly abandoned the thought once she learned that Salem was a war criminal, and that the spell was to keep him under control. She decided it was for the best that Salem remained a cat. Besides, Freya thought he was really cute in this form. Salem asked Freya why she liked dating Ambrosia, so she gave him the whole story.

"It was one summer morning. That was the day when the first new P231-G passenger locomotive entered service. I was at the Regnbuehavn Central station to cut the ribbons and sacrifice a horse on the tracks, when this pretty blossom caught my eye. It was love at first sight! I took her for a spin in my fancy ride, then treated her to a nice dinner aboard my train on the way to my palace. At first I found it unusual that she never drank blood, considering she's a vampire. But she loved my horse meatballs! And I'll never forget the excitement on her face when I showed her my model train collection! Aren't trains the best thing ever? And that, folks, is why she's my girlfriend."

Noticing the other guests making their way to the entrance, Freya thought she and Ambrosia should start going in as well.

"Look, they're letting everyone in," she said. "Let's sit together, shall we? We'll have all the time in the world to continue our chat."

[Stanier]

In the blink of an eye, a white 4-door 2001 Ford Fiesta with unpainted black bumpers that looked like it had definitely seen better days appeared, Back To The Future-style, a subtle detail to note is that the car had Venezuelan plates for whatever reason. The car came to halt where the driver saw fit, the engine shut off, and its occupants came out. And in an unexpected turn of events (Because most would think they would show up in something classier), the Stanierian entourage got down from the excessively humble hatchback.

"AAAAAnd we here! Told ya we'd get here in a jizzy!" Said Ennio, getting down from the vehicle, closing the door, and pocketing the keys

"Si si si. Quello è buono e tutto, but can you explain where did you even get the car from? The front windshield is cracked, it doesn't have a rearview mirror, the paint is peeling off, and what is it with la ruggime on the windshield frame, ah? Questa cosa makes us look like un paese di vagabondi" Asked Sing, who had also gotten down and was toying a little with the holes caused by the rust in the car

"First off, I got it off a friend. Second to last? I ain't got no idea"

"Ey! Lest not forget how horrible it is to sit on the back" Added Sandro, who ever so slightly crawled to get out of the backseat

"It wasn't that bad for me!" Exclaimed Kako, who got down in a really child-like manner

"Hablame de nuevo cuando midás un metro con ochenticinco, mina" Sandro said under his breath

"What?"

"Nada. How about we all get moving? Pretty sure the party just got started"

"Buona idea..." Sing said before walking, then he stopped after looking some of the crowd entering the venue, alongside the security detail, so he gestured Ennio over and whispered to him "Ehhh... Ennio, you and I might need to salvare le nostre armi, capisce?"

"Shit, forgot 'bout that one chief" Ennio then turned to the man and woman who had emerged from the backseat "You fellas can go on without us, Sing and I gots to stash some stuff in the trunk"

As Ennio and Sing ran to the trunk to stash their weapons, Kako and Sandro moved towards the giant (to them) venue.

"Wow! This place is huge! It just goes on and on upwards!" Kako pointed out, distracted by the sheer size of the place

"Bueno, ahora me veo como un enano..."

snip

They both entered, and greeted those at the entrance, but as they passed through, Kako noticed a few familiar faces, she then pulled Sandro, who also noticed the presences after a few seconds. They went where Zkto', Ambrosia, Frøya, and Amaki were talking. But Kako suffered a change of heart and ran outside to see where Ennio and Sing were, so Sandro shrugged it off and kept going, seeing Zkto' in the crowd, he already knew he was going to approach first.

"¡Buenas noches! ladies and gentlemen" He told to the group, before turning to Zkto' "Say, aren't you Zovban? Zkto' Zovban? He oído a ton of stories about yourself, most of them are about intentos de magnicidio, but whatever. I'm Sandro Mèndez, Attorney General of Stanier, un placer meeting you in person"

Sandro extended his hand for a handshake, apparently legitimately glad of meeting Zkto'.

[Quebec-Libre]

"Ah. Well, you see, it was handed over to us by the German Empire in the First world War after we kicked their ass at the Battle of the St. Lawrence. That was...Plenty of time ago. Now, everything you see on that map belongs to Quebec. We also..well..Put britain back at their place in 1920, leading them to have a republican Revolution and chopping off their monarch's head like they were in Paris."

The French Revolution Joke was real.

María grew more interested in what the Sovereign had to say. After all, she always had an odd nature when it came to history. She loved history so much, that one of the main factors that pushed her to initiate her revolution in Inkopolitia was because she wanted to see the history of the Nation changed, for the better, of course.

She also chuckled at how the British got treated after the conflict in 1920.

"I mean, mister... they're the British. They do not deserve such compassion... after all, I saw how Inkopolitians all across the territory got mistreated, abused, and even enslaved by British military officers and such... I do not know how Inkopolitia is faring, since, well... I perished, but I hope that the Inkopolitians finally broke off of their chains. I wish the British nation also ceased to exist, but that's just the best-case scenario."

"They've grown more acceptant. Besides, we're more powerfull than them in military and geopolitics now."

He then sighed, looking at her for a moment.

"You're about the same age my son was the last Time I saw him..."

[Alpes a Septentrionali Imperium]

The Emperor replies with " Yes, I believe I meet your predecessor once or twice before. Shame about that. Also, what do you believe is going to happen to the Ignis States now that its emperor is dead? Anyways, good luck with your duty as regent, it is quite an honorable one. Even if the culture I come from detests it, but that's a topic I can go on about later if you want me to. Anyhows, how are you both, and have you happened to see any other Alpeians during this party? Because all the ones that came with me seem to run anyway, to somewhere. Leave them for 5 seconds and they'll disappear." The Emperor starts talking to himself for a second before rearranging himself and having a sip of his wine.

" Sorry about that,... As I was saying if you have seen anybody like that please tell me, and also have you yet been to the bar. It has a surprising wine selection, not what I was expecting. But a good surprise in my opinion." The Emperor says this as he tries to continue on the conversation.

Zen begins to ponder to himself, glancing into the air for a good while before finally looking back down.
"Hm....to answer your questions in order.....I doubt much will change with the exception of repealing a few archaic laws, I'm doing quite well, and I don't believe I've seen any Alpeians nearby. I'll attempt to locate them, though."
Lottus, meanwhile, begins walking over to the bar. The vulpine looks over indignantly.
"....For heaven's sake, you're 17. You really shouldn't be drinking."
"......I have killed countless people since I was 12 and ALCOHOL is a concern. Ha, that's hilarious! I'll keep your advice in mind."
Regardless of her snarky tone, she walks back over to the Regent, naturally.

Z: "....Ah, I almost forgot. I need to see about renewing that garrison I set up to ensure your planet isn't attacked......that or go on tour at some point. I've been intending to do that for the longest time."

The Emperor speaks once again. " Why thank you Zen. I haven't been able to find those I decided to bring with me to this dinner party for a while now. Also, congratulations on your position, if you're doing as well as you say, I foresee many great things happening for the Ignis. Yes that a compliment, I know it sounds kinda strange. And let your poor assistant get a drink, at least in the Imperium you only have to be 16 to get a drink, and a little alcohol never hurt anyone. The Emperor says this, before preceding to take a sip from his wine glass, and adjusting one of his medals.

" Now what was I saying? No wait... Sorry about that, I'm getting old it seems. But you said something about renewing the garrison you sent? Please do, well we don't interact much with nations that can invade our planet, it is still a worry. The Emperor than pulls out a card that was sitting between his belt and dress sword " And if you plan to tour our world, call the Imperial Palace Cartography Department. It can devise as many routes and plans as you want.

Astoria

[OOC: Apologies if the following post is a little on the confusing side; it's been quite some time since I last actually did an RP, so please bear with me.]

A small silver sedan purred into a parking lot a few metres away from the residence, and a rather nondescript one, and a vehicle certainly sticking out like a sore, bland thumb amongst the other flamboyant vehicles present in the lot.

(Image)

It was almost like a random citizen happened to enter by accident, as the sedan showed no distinctive markings, if one discounts the bonnet-mounted flagpole with the Astorian flag on it. However, the driver of this vehicle was no ordinary person, at least in the general scheme of things, as this person was Robert Paisley, who just happened to be Prime Minister of Astoria.

'Havdul kakonn, how long does it take just to persuade the embassy staff to let me arrive at this banquet without an escort? Nobody needs it anymore, and I certainly have no use for it - it's not like I'm about to declare war, or something.', Robert said, while attempting to lock the car with an increasingly flimsy key fob.

A short walk to the White House managed to replace most of the earlier irritation with sheer awe, as he entered the front door. 'You sure I haven't just gone back to the airport or something?', he thought to himself. 'Eh, don't knock it yet - you only just got here, remember.'

Not particularly wishing to stick out like a sore thumb amongst the guests, Robert decided to join one of the groups, spotting a man in rather flamboyant royal garb, and another person. He decided to move towards them in a discreet manner.

'Hi there - I don't think we've met before. I'm Robert Paisley, Prime Minister of Astoria. And you are...?'

A pair of footsteps is than heard by the Emperor, turning around he finds his son Prince Charles, and another man he had never met before. Greeting his son, he decides to then introduce himself to the new visitor, who had already named himself as Robert Paiseley

Emperor Matthieu: " Bonsoir, I am Emperor, well technically Empereur-Roi, Matthieu de Froid, Sovereign Monarch of the Alpes a Septentrionali Imperium. comment allez-vous Monsieur Paisley, and what do I have the pleasure of introducing myself and my son, Charles to you. Charles, viens par ici"

Prince Charles, who was talking to the Ignis representative heard his father call for him, and like the obedient man that he was, went with haste

Prince Charles: "Excuse me for a second, I'll be right back... Good day to you Monsieur Paisley"

And so the party went on, with the emperor and prince now talking to allies and strangers. Still waiting for the rest of there group to reappear, and speaking on topics ranging from wine to politics.

[Valentine Z]

Stand-by for my posts! Cut-off and no posting for now. ^^

EDIT: I'm a bit overwhelmed.

[Valentine Z]

The Valentian Dinner – Be My Guests!

The Valentians waited for a good few minutes, eagerly checking their watches and hoping to see a vehicle, or a ship, or a teleporter, across the horizon. Any signs of the guests arriving, and the Valentians would be jumping with joy; at least the smaller ones are jumping, while Valentijn and Valentina would simply have to go with claps or cheers.

As Valentijn said, the timing of the party is indeed flexible. Besides, it has just started, and there is no problem with people coming late. After all, there are so many factors that attributed to the slowness, and sometimes… even for those nations that arrived in style, they can face some delays here and there. The Valentians have accounted for all of that, and made the party long… or at least Gwen tried to. Gwen has more or less slowed down the flow of time without anyone knowing. They would notice that by this time, only 5 minutes would have passed as soon as they stepped into the White House. This has no effects on anyone around, and it would be used until everyone is here.

The first ones to arrive are the old friends of the Valentians. It might have been a while since they have last seen each other, but Valentijn definitely picked up on the familiarity of the person from a distance. From the old, run down car, comes out a moustached man. It took quite a lot of effort for Valentijn, Clarissa, and Valentina to make sure that they don’t hit anything else when bending down, and with that, the trio would approach walk further towards the gate and welcome their friend.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Okay, to be honest? I am not exactly sure who he is. The bird is certainly very familiar, though, from my readings.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Maybe he is a replacement for Dassm? Or someone… I am not very sure myself, dear. Well, let’s go and talk to them, haha!

As the Valentians bent down and introduced themselves, they would learn that the man in question is Abbas Ibn Arabiyya, leader of Arabia. The bird is definitely Mr. Bobby, with a cigarette in his mouth.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Nice to meet you, Mr. Abbas, and Mr. Bobby as well. So err…. Thanks for finishing off the cigarette, but I imagine… I imagine that it would not be so good for the bird? If it can do nasty things to people, imagine the bird. Ah still, my health lecture aside, welcome, welcome! Please make yourself at home, please do come in!

The Valentians have fitted themselves with microphones so that they will have an easier time talking to each other. Specifically, this system of communication was meant for Valentijn, Valentina, and Clarissa to be able to talk to the other Valentians without the smaller Valentians needing to yell at them, or the larger Valentians having to bend down repeatedly.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Goodness, that was a little weird. I have to be honest… this is the first time I have seen a bird smoke, I tell you guys that much.

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: I’m gonna hazard a guess that the bird definitely doesn’t have a voice of a thousand angels. I mean, not to insult the bird, but I can only imagine him coughing and being hoarse all over the place.

As the conversation moved on for a minute or two, another car has arrived. A stretched 1966 Ford Mustang with 2 front Imperial Quebecois Flags, rolled down the front of the entrance. It was in pristine condition, and beared blue-metallic hubcaps. The Chauffeur came out of the car and opened the backdoor, allowing His Exellency the Emperor to step out of the car. He was wearing a dark-blue trenchcoat and had the Médaille Honorifique de Bravoure au Combat pinned on the side of his heart. He also had a pair of small Crowned Fleurs-de-Lys pins on each flap of the coat's collar.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: I seriously have no idea on who this person is again. Goodness gracious, I don’t mind meeting all the new people, but this is getting a little weird.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: New friends to meet, then, haha! [Clarissa then flashes a soft smile towards Valentijn, before turning back and looking down at the guests] Ooh, they seem to be speaking French!

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Well, want to take this one? Jolyn? Clarissa?

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Oooh, I will do it! ^^

Clarissa then approached the man to greet him, but before being startled by the roar of the engine as the car went off along the road. She placed her hand on her chest before moving on, and crouched near the man.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Oooh, hello there, my little friend! I am Clarissa, and this I my dearest husband Valentijn! It is such an amazing honor and pleasure to have you for this dinner! So… please, do come inside! The living room is filled to the brim with food!

Two done, many more to go, they thought. Though, the Valentians were not exactly weary with meeting a lot of people. In fact, they are expecting and wishing for a large turnout, and hopes that people at least read the mail that were sent to them.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Excellent. Now that’s two nations. So who else are we expecting for this fine evening and night?

Jamie Izabella Æstriðr Clementine Eirian: Ahh, right. The next on the list, there should be someone by the name of Amaki, and her son… I mean, wait, sorry. Amaki and her daughter. I suppose and predict that they would be coming in any time…. Now.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Oh, dear me. This is not too good.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Pardon?

But when he faced Clarissa, her mouth was shut, and it didn’t seem like she was talking to him at all. Unless…. Clarissa was using the machines inside Valentijn’s armor to communicate to him in private. As husband and wife, and for many other matters, Valentijn has a set of computers that run his suit and automate some systems inside, while Clarissa is able to use these computers in any way that she see fit. Though, knowing her benevolent nature, all she use it for was to talk to him “telepathically”. Valentijn, in turn, can use a TTT (Thought to Text) transcriber to talk to her.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: [TTT] Clarissa? What’s wrong, Dear?

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: [TTT] Ohh err, Vallie.. I am a bit anxious about seeing Amaki.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: [TTT] Ahh, that huh? Don’t worry, love, everything will be fine, I can assure you. There will be no fighting in this place, and I will make sure that this won’t happen. Gwen will definitely make sure of that, one way or another.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: [TTT] Thanks for your reassurance as always, Vallie! Though, please do take this one for me! I’m a bit nervous!

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: [TTT] Haha, anything for you, dear.

With that, Clarissa walked toward Valentijn, while trying her best to not make a lot of eye contact with the incoming vehicle. Out of the SUV, came out Amaki, dressed up in rather dull colors. Her child, however, would be dressed in rather bright colors, on par with an average Valentian’s wardrobe. The two giants slowly walked towards Amaki and her daughter, with Clarissa holding Valentijn’s right arm and leaning against him.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: [TTT] Don’t worry, everything will be fine.

Valentijn then shifted his attention towards Amaki below, kneeling down and making sure that no one gets hit or was on his way.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ahh, hello there! You must be Ms. Amaki, and you must be… err… Amara, yes, that’s the name! I’m sorry about that, I have been trying to memorise the names of the guests till now. Please do make yourself at home, and do not be alarmed! We are all friendly people here, and the rest of us are also very keen on seeing you folks.

Three down, many more to go.

Realising that the Valentian White House is running out of soda (out of all things), Mandy grabbed her car keys and drove off to the nearest grocery shop. As she was doing so, there was a limo driving on the same road as her, but on the opposite lane. “Must be the guests,” she thought to herself happily. Before she could finish her happy thoughts, the limo suddenly lost control and nearly crashed into her, with Mandy quickly switching to the right lane after checking and making sure that the lanes are clear. Fortunately, there were not a lot of vehicles on the road at the moment, at least not for the road that the White House is situated on. Minus government and emergency vehicles of Valentine Z, as well as the guests themselves, the road was closed to everyone else. Though, the other Valentian citizens can still attend the party if they wish; they simply need to walk inside, after all.

Going back to the near-accident, Mandy swerved to the lane beside her and avoided a crash.

Mandy Colette Diva Lydia Koh Lucie Bertillon: Oh DIEU! Thank goodness for that!

A little bothered but still ultimately fine, Mandy then arrived at the grocery store and bought cartons of sodas as needed. She figured that a lot more would be needed and as a result, hauled back 3 boxes (18 bottles) of soda back into her car.

-----

She would then explain the situation to Jamie and the others.

Mandy Colette Diva Lydia Koh Lucie Bertillon: -and that’s how it happened. I don’t blame them, anyway. Maybe they panicked or it was purely an accident.

Jamie Izabella Æstriðr Clementine Eirian: Hm hm, well, I suppose so! Thank goodness that you are fine and in one piece, my friend. The party would certainly be disastrous without your presence, and also because of the lack of soda, but you as well.

Mandy Colette Diva Lydia Koh Lucie Bertillon: I could always go for another synthetic body once I died in this one!

-----

The Valentians looked intensely at the limo for a few seconds. They might have the names, but it still did not help that they have no idea who is driving what a car, and this was no exception. Just at that point, the limo arrived at its location – the site of the Valentian Dinner. Chris put on his coat – that mercifully, hid whatever horrors were hiding on the cast of his left arm, while everyone else got ready to get going.

There was an ah-ha moment for all the Valentians at the same time, but especially so for the Valentian trio. Marcus was also more or less familiar with them, but none of them is familiar with the Hapilopperians as much as Clarissa, Jolyn, and Gwen. Clarissa decided to shrink down to a manageable 9 ft, while Gwen would sworn herself not to use her 100-meters form unless really necessary. They noticed Chris with an arm cast, who as aforementioned was wearing a coat to cover his cast.

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Tsk tsk, poor guy.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Yeah, I hope that he will be fine after a while!

As the Hapilopperians arrived, the Valentians would greet them all with a heartful smile. Chris, Chet, Drake, Marty… the racing guys are all here! The trio was extremely excited.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Ahh, hello there, my friends! Oooh, fancy suits you are wearing, Mr. Holmes! I like it, it suits you, haha! I am so sorry about that arm, though!

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Yeah, that was pretty awful. Very terrible news with that crash. I hope you are still kicking and kick-ass as ever!

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: Ooooh, nice suits! Like Clarissa said, the cast, what abo-

Jolyn beamed subtly at Gwen, with the face that says, “Gwen, please oh please don’t ask.”

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: Ohh err, right… Anyway, please, please, welcome inside! You will all be having a wonderful evening, no worries on that!

Marcus Alan Ariel Baptiste Reynolds: I wonder if the rest of the drivers can make it as well. They deserve a celebration with us!

As the Hapiloppians, along with the rest of the people, went into the White House normally and past the security checkpoint, the Valentians heard faint sounds of a bell from a distance. At least, at least Clarissa does, given her super sensitive hearing equipment. It was none other than Ambrosia herself, riding her bike towards the White House. There is a basket attached on the bike. The Valentians turned their attention back to the entrance of the White House.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Vallie, Vallie! Look who came!

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ahh, Ms. Ambrosia! That lovely vampire woman, haha! I am so happy to have her around. I must say, it has been so darn long.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: I spot with my eye… a kitty cat!

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Geez, of course you do, Clarissa! You got those powerful eyes!

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Hm hm, indeed! ^^

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Haha, never stop what you are doing, Clarissa. [She gave a heartful smile at Clarissa]

-----

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ahh, Ms. Ambrosia! My fullest greetings and extensions to you! We are all expecting you as always, and I am very happy on behalf of the many Valentians around, since you can make it! Ohh, and cute kitty as well! I unfortunately don’t have his name on the list… but fear not, fear not! That’s not me saying that he’s not invited; I simply don’t know his name, that’s all. Still, that aside, you must have had a tiring journey, so please make your way inside!

A bus arrived at the scene right after Ambrosia would get into the White House and parking her bike somewhere safe. One does not have to worry about their belongings being stolen in Valentine Z, but still, in a grand scheme of things, the Valentians go by the mantra of “shit happens”, so they would try to exercise caution as much as possible. In other words, they took care to make sure that the bike didn’t get run over by this new bus.

The Valentians all stared at the bus, followed by staring at the Quartet of Unusual Beings, as they would be termed. Jamie was frantically checking her list, while Clarissa was trying her best to access the invitation list as well. Valentijn would be looking at the bus itself. Instead of wheels, it ran on hundreds of tiny, pale-blue beams of light that seemed to levitate it in the air, yet kept it from sliding due to lack of friction.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: [He turned to the Valentians and whispered a little] What a fascinating piece of vehicle! Looks like those ones you have in your world, Gwen!

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: Aww, yes, Overwatch! Haha, brings me back the memories… in a good way, of course!

Jamie Izabella Æstriðr Clementine Eirian: ASI "Utopia", Imperator Arlock, Lord Admiral Nakai, Trifexian Avatar… those are their names, my friends. So… who wants to play a game on finding out who is who?

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: Ahh-

Jamie Izabella Æstriðr Clementine Eirian: No Gwen, you may not say who ASI “Utopia” is. You already know about him too well, might as well be cheating!

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: Hahah, oops! I will just guess it in that order. The Sword would be Arlock, the second one… Nakai? The five meters guy, woo! I think that’s the Trifexian Avatar.

Marcus Alan Ariel Baptiste Reynolds: I’m gonna guess that the Sword is the Avatar. Maybeeee the five-meter tall guy is Nakai.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa:I can’t tell for sure, either. I don’t have any information regarding the other three.

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: So all of you can confirm that the one with the white dots is ASI “Utopia”?

Gwen quietly nodded her head and winked at Jolyn.

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Hehe, guess so.

They moved silently and swiftly, seemingly not interacting with the others as of the moment. Valentijn would try to break the ice by knowing who Utopia is, but playing a guessing game with the three.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ahh, it is you, my friends! ASI Utopia, welcome to my dinner party! I hope you will enjoy it here, along with your colleagues – Imperator Arlock, Lord Admiral Nakai, and Trifexian Avatar. Welcome, welcome! Please, do make yourselves at home.

They too would pass the security without any incident, but with some small talk from Jacob and Augustine.

Augustine Lorenzo Terry Vinto Stefano: Who the hell are those guys, Jacob?

Jacob Dalston Sullivan Axel Krisztián: I don’t know, man.. Guests that we have accepted, and friendlies for sure, but… eh, kinda unusual, I shall say.

Augustine Lorenzo Terry Vinto Stefano: Any chance that they might be up for trouble?

Jacob Dalston Sullivan Axel Krisztián: I sure hope not. I don’t judge them by appearance, but have you seen THAT thing? 5 meters tall. Shit, I would start a rampage if I am that tall.

Augustine Lorenzo Terry Vinto Stefano: Jacob?

Jacob Dalston Sullivan Axel Krisztián: -Ohh right, sorry. Hey, I am just thinking out loud. You don’t know how convenient a 5-meter tall body is for smashing demons from hell.

As the quartet from Arkeyana went in, the Valentians looked at the gate once again, expecting more guests. Though, this time, it was quiet… a little too quiet. No sound of a bicycle, no sound of tires grinding against asphalt, nothing. Not even the hums from a hovering vehicle, or a ship, or whatever else that they might be coming in. It was too quiet.

Until soon enough, a rift indeed opened in front of the Valentian Estate. Not Invisible to the Naked Eye but so tiny is this rift that a Quark would be considered Mount Everest next to it and the rift a simple man. Secor with a thought caused the rift to expand a bit more till at long last it would achieve the size of an atom, from there she allowed her essence to leak through. One moment there is no Supreme Admiral before the Valentian Estate the next moment there she was.

Angeline Joyce Crystal Regina Nogueira: I’m detecting a rift! In front of you, Valentijn, 3 meters North! Get back!

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ohh ahh, right… I guess someone is coming in fancily! Would be pretty damn neat to see it in action.

Tinkering around on her device, Angeline would be seeing 10 seconds into the future, so she would be the one to see the rift, along with the Admiral that would come out of it.

Angeline Joyce Crystal Regina Nogueira: 8 seconds, people. Keep an eye out, you don’t want to miss this moment!

The Valentians stared at the point in space that Angeline designated, without blinking. Sure enough, one moment there was no one, and the next? There is an Admiral. Specifically, Supreme Admiral Secor, wearing a white and gold dress that is like a cross between a military uniform, and casual wear. It’s difficult to differentiate which, but the Valentians didn’t care much, anyway. One thing is for sure, is that these medals are not just a costume, and they are indeed official and formal ranks and medals that she might have gotten from her experience.

The Valentians would also be clapping with standing ovation after the rift was done. Admiral Secor might find this a little unusual.

Valentijn welcomed her once again.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ahh, very glad to see you! You must be Supreme Admiral Secor! Don’t worry, we know just because we were sending invites and you folks have sent us a RSVP. So… please, make yourself at home! Oh, and hey, very neat trick you got there! We love it!

Right after the Admiral, would be the French once again, and the Valentians mean this in a neutral or a positive way. However, they were not from Quebec-Libre, and rather, from somewhere else, it would seem.

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Ahh, that must be the Alpes! Wow, that’s a lot of people!

Germaine Athena Angelina Mercy Sylvi: Well, can’t say that they are a little protective of their own people. I mean, I would invest in a little bit of security too. Anyway, this can be handled, no worries.

Jenny Claudia Sombra Linette Hoshiko: Empereur-Roi Matthieu "XV" Jean Éric Guillaume Aldrick Nicolas Meroveus de Froid-Couronne-Picardy… is he a Valentian as well?

Marcus Alan Ariel Baptiste Reynolds: That is indeed a very long name, I must say.

Jamie Izabella Æstriðr Clementine Eirian: Germaine, mind if I ask you a quick question?

Germaine Athena Angelina Mercy Sylvi: Not at all, please. Shoot!

Jamie Izabella Æstriðr Clementine Eirian: If you are here… who is tending the bar now?

Germaine Athena Angelina Mercy Sylvi: Oh yeah, I gave that job to Klarke for a while. I mean, he’s a medic too, so if someone already got drunk now, he can most definitely revive them.

Jamie Izabella Æstriðr Clementine Eirian: Oh well… I suppose that is a fair thing to do. Haha, you simply cannot resist going out to see the guests, huh?

Germaine Athena Angelina Mercy Sylvi: Yeah, it’s been a while since we last had a dinner like this.

A total of 7 people would come out of the coach and carriage. Emperor Matthieu, Crown Prince Charles, Foreign Affairs Lord de Vara, Ferdinard Alfonse d'Alene, and 3 GIGNs, it seems.

The Valentians would welcome them once again, this time with Mandy taking over the scene.

Mandy Colette Diva Lydia Koh Lucie Bertillon: [In French] Ahh, Alpeians! Glad to see you folks as well! We Valentians welcome the sincerest extensions to you folks. I hope you are all doing well! Please please, do come in! Oh, and do not worry about your security. We have made exceptions for the security gate.

As it would seem, the Emperor and d’Alene went to meet the guests, while Prince Charles and First Lord de Vara would be conversing and chatting with Mandy and Jamie for the time being, strolling slowly into the living room.

Another rift, as predicted and warned by Angeline, would appear in front of the White House, revealing an indigo rift that was much larger than the previous rift. This one, it would seem, would work on an entirely different method and nature altogether, and the Valentians did not mind seeing a different one, of course. A vulpine would stumble out of the portal, who indeed is Zen from Ignis States; this would be followed by a human-looking girl.

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: Oooh, we are seeing a variety of people as of now! This would be very lovely, I imagine!

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: I feel a little weirded out, but please don’t hear it from me. It’s just my personal preference.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ahh nah, don’t worry about it. The universe is always full of surprises, you know?

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: True!

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ahh, hello there! So... you must be Research Marshal Wlylas "Zen" Pyrrus! Well, according to my list, that is! And you, young lady, must be Lottus! I am glad to have the both of you around, so there is that! Anyway, please, welcome! [He put his large hand in front of them and pointed towards the living room] Please, make yourself at home! Feel free to talk to the rest of the guests, or towards the Valentians. We don’t bite!

The duo, if they went into the White House, also would be cleared by the security.

The Valentians wait for more guests as usual, and this time, they have more or less seen everything. Buses, limos, usual cars, bikes, rifts… it would seem like there is nothing that will surprise the Valentians anymore, perhaps save from spaceships. As they are waiting around, the bright lights from the sky would distract them, and the Valentians would look up, trying their best to shield their eyes; Clarissa, however, simply adjusted her eyes to let her see better.

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: Look, up in the sky! Is it a bird?

Jamie Izabella Æstriðr Clementine Eirian: Oooh, is it a plane?

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: I swear, please don’t say “It’s Superman!”

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn and Jamie Izabella Æstriðr Clementine Eirian: It’s-

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Emperor Tianshi! He’s here! ^^

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: Damn it, Clarissa, you ruined the fun! You have the biggest advantage with that sort of thing.

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Damn it, Gwen, stop looking up in the sky for so long! It will hurt your eyes!

Tianshi would descend gracefully, flapping his monochrome feathered wings, and landing carefully. He was wearing a white batik shirt with deep blue patterns, and a coat with some pins and honors. It seems like a military uniform, at least in the eyes of the Valentians.

Tianshi would speak in a British accent, surprising Gwen.

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: Oi… you have the same accent as me! That is so awesome, haha! Hello there!

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: And hello to you too, my friend! Ahh, yes, it’s been two years, I think. I don’t know, I sort of lost track of time… anyway, please, come in, and make yourself at home! We have plenty of food waiting, but we gotta wait for the guests, of course. Still, enjoy!

Tianshi would also make it into the White House and past the security checkpoint without a problem.

They waited yet again, surprised by yet another entrance. This time, a limo pulled up to the front entrance. It was something rather tame, just a simple black car driven along the road. It seemed to be a rather private car, given by the condition and the appearance of it. The person that got out of the car was none other than Prime Secretary of Karevka Artyom Komissarov, from Karevka itself. After a formal exchange and a salute, the Valentians decided to give the same amount of respect. Valentijn gave him a salute of his own, though given his height, he would be looking at the horizon that is 55 meters above a person. After that gesture, the car would go off, leaving the Secretary on his own. He walked towards Valentijn and said, “Hello, I'm Artyom Komissarov."

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ahh, hello there! You are exactly who I thought you were! I mean, I am expecting you, of course! Welcome, welcome! Please do make yourself at home!

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: Ooh, hello! We have heard a lot about you from the stuff that we have gathered around! As in, from the info that you have provided to us, of course! So… anyway, pleased to meet you! That giant there is Valentijn, and I am Gwen! And there’s Clarissa, Jamie, Jolyn, Adriana, Angeline, Marcus, and many more inside! Please, make yourself at home, like Valentijn said.

At any point, the Prime Secretary would make his way into the White House, and it would be a rather nice one as always. Pretty uneventful, but in a good way, since there’s nothing to bother, and nothing that will raise unwanted attention. Valentijn quickly shifted his breastplate and checked for leaks on his armour. The computer systems would indicate that there are no structural integrity issues, and as a result, none of the guests so far would get radiation.

Marcus Alan Ariel Baptiste Reynolds: Thank goodness, haha! Don’t worry, Val, just background radiation. No radiation leaking out from your suit and harming people!

As the Valentians watched the Prime Secretary seemingly making his way into the White House, they came across yet another car. This time, it looks much more modern, and there are Aurevnushan flags flown on it. That’s when the Valentians, especially Jamie and Adriana, knew which list of names to check.

Jamie Izabella Æstriðr Clementine Eirian: President Tianna Jacqueline Baize, Stewart Boyd and Johnny Garofalo, along with 2 bodyguards, it would seem! Oooh, how delightful to meet someone like them as well!

Adriana Krystal Desiree Kowalski Faith Stanisława: You seemed pretty excited to meet them, Jamie! Any idea why?

Jamie Izabella Æstriðr Clementine Eirian: I am not very sure, to be honest! I guess the names themselves excite me, and from what I can tell, they are pretty much friendly and down-to-Earth people. I mean, at least if you compare with most of the guests we have here. Nothing wrong with not being down-to-Earth, of course!

Adriana Krystal Desiree Kowalski Faith Stanisława: Ahh, I see! Well, I am sure that you will have plenty of opportunities to talk to them!

As the car came to a halt, the doors are opened, and the three guests followed by 2 bodyguards would come out and walk towards Valentijn. The latter prepared himself and crouched down once again, extending his large hand towards them, making sure not to hurt them in the process.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ah, hello there! Yes, I am indeed Valentijn, my friends! Don’t worry about it, you can just call me Val. It’s all informal and fun here, haha! Ahh, where are my manners? Please, please, do come in! And those two will be the bodyguards, yes? That will be fine, no problem! Things are already cleared from the start, so there is that!

And once again, they too will be sent off to the entrance of the White House in order to be checked by the security, and after clearance, they would be going in. Valentijn would turn and talk at the other Valentians.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Thank goodness I didn’t wear a cape. Not that I like the thing, but if I am to wear it, imagine it sweeping and covering everyone involved!

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Hm hm, you said it! It is indeed going to be very weird!

As it was said multiple times, the Valentians have more or less seen everything at this point. But nothing will prepare them for how the next two would enter the scene. Faceless horse beings that looked a little bit like humans, and their overall grotesque looks that shocked a few Valentians.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Wow, what an entrance!

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Right, and I thought the Four Apocalypse themselves are coming to get us! Hey, I don’t mind them joining us!

Jamie Izabella Æstriðr Clementine Eirian: From the looks of it, I suppose that these are good folks from Khoronzon. We have just recently interacted with them, but they are rather nice people, judging from those interactions, of course.

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: Ok, so… they are not the Four Horsemen?

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: No Gwen… no. Don’t worry about it!

The outfits that they wore were rather bleak in nature, very pitch-black and not very visible. On the bright side, they are coming during a late afternoon and not anytime sooner because at that point, it would have been difficult to see them overall. The greeting was a bit cold with a cold smile, and while Valentijn took note of that, he simply took it as it is and did not complain or say a word about that.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ahh, hello there! Emperor Narcissus Apollyon and Truth Minister Iranon Syorin, you must be! Anyway, please, welcome to my humble home! It’s a little large, but hey, look on the bright side; it’s a nice place for smaller folks like you. Feel free to talk to the rest of the Valentians, or with the rest of the guests! We welcome one another here.

As the Valentians waited again, this time, a red sports car arrived at the scene, quite a departure from the formal SUVs and other state cars that were seen by the Valentians. Still, not being teleportation or a spaceship, this was more or less welcomed by the Valentians, though they don’t exactly mind other forms of entry. It was simply that they have a certain degree of fear – the Valentians feared that as the tech level or the method of entry gets more bizarre, they would have to expect many more convoluted and bizarre situations if there happens to be a fight of some sort. Still, Valentijn has a certain degree of trust in these people, and hope that they will not be escalating to a fight. Wells would be the one to start speaking to Valentijn.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ahh, hello there! My friend, I have been doing great, thank you very much for asking! Mr. Lucky Wells, and… Dr. Cavalier, I assume. At least, that’s what the namelist tells me! Anyway, welcome to my humble home, and I am glad to have both of you around!

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Hello there, Mr. Wells! Soooo very happy to see you around here, haha! Remember me? I am Clarissa! Changed and dressed for this particular occasion!

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Oooh, I’m detecting a spaceship drop. They are detaching from a larger ship.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Let me see the list… oh crap, it’s them, isn’t it? Ugh, I knew it… I knew it.

Soon arriving, it hovered midair for a moment, until it descended slowly and then landed near the house in a nearby grassy opening, its landing mechanisms entrenching themselves deep into the soil. After a short while, steam and strange gases began pouring out of an opening on the side of the shuttle, and a wide rectangular plank lowered and then sat down upon the grass at an angle.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Huh, pretty interesting entry, I must say that!

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Oooh, pretty tall as well!

Jamie Izabella Æstriðr Clementine Eirian: Something doesn’t seem right. What in actual blazes is this?

They would be talking about the Sorphorian guards moving towards the building with weapons.

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: Hey, who are you people? What is this?

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Oh, you have got to be kidding me. Is this a fucking invasion during a party? What is with these weapons?

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: [Quietly on the Communications] Snipers, be ready to use lethal force if necessary.

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: [She then talked to Valentijn] Val, what the hell is going on? I thought these people are our guests. Why the hell are they checking on us?

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Fuck if I know… Maybe they are just surveying the place, making sure that the atmosphere and the environment don’t kill them. The presence of weapons is a… disturbing thing. Gwen… be prepared for the worst.

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: You got it! Fate the cleanup crew, ready for duty!

It was only after a few more seconds then they realised that it was just a spot check. A terrifying one, but nonetheless, just a check.

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Snipers, stand down. They mean no harm.

Valentijn approached the alien lifeforms and started talking to them. Though not in a welcoming tone that he had towards the other guests, he still tried his best.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Hello there, and welcome to my humble home. I must say, pointing those energy weapons and scythe things were pretty disturbing. I understand that you people are surveying the place for potential dangers, but we seriously mean no harm. So… First Lord Terebinth, I presume. Welcome, and remember, no weapon firing inside unless absolutely bloody needed. I don’t want this to be turned into a warzone.

Terebinth and the rest would go in and past the security as usual.

Augustine Lorenzo Terry Vinto Stefano: Oi, hey, what the fuck is this? We said no weapons, and you guys brought along this shit?

Jacob Dalston Sullivan Axel Krisztián: God DAMN, they are trying to start something. I knew it.

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: No guys, stand down. Stand down… [after a beat of delay] They are fine, we have cleared them last-minute.

Jolyn would subtly wink at Jacob and Augustine, which basically just screams “Keep an eye out on them.”

And just like that, they are allowed in.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: I already had a bad feeling about this.

The next encounter, however, would not be that bad. It was an AutoModi 431, according to Clarissa, which would arrive at the scene. While not a limo, it certainly has a very nice look to it. The Valentians have more or less realised who they are, and once again, the four Valentians have jumped for joy. They were none other than Clarissa, Jolyn, Gwen, and Marcus. At this moment, Clarissa was still 55 meters tall.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Oooh, hello there! ^^ Haha, great to see you too! Aww, Mr. Wang, Mr. Rinzi, and Ms. Tashi! Sorry if this is not exactly the right way to address you, my friends! Anyway, I am so happy to meet you all! So, hope you are all doing well!

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: That wedding was amazing! We had a lot of fun with it, of course!

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: Ahh, hello you! Very glad to see you guys, and hey, congratulations once again!

Marcus Alan Ariel Baptiste Reynolds: Thank you for the invite, and I am also thankful that you took the time to come here and dine with us. I hope that you will find the food as delicious as yours!

As they went past, Jolyn would catch a few words of their conversation in Sherpa. Something about Clarissa and the like. This conversation would take place quietly between Clarissa and Jolyn just because.

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Ahh, what amusement! Haha, Clarissa, I think they are attracted to you. At least one of them is!

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Oooh, as a friend or?

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Well, let’s say that your height caused quite an inconvenience, so… one of them was looking up, and the other thought he was looking up at your skirt.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Hahaha that’s pretty funny! Well, I have nothing to look inside for, anyway! I am mostly metal and… robotic!

The Valentians would see the Sherpa People get past the security checkpoint, and then helping themselves with some food. Not that they are not allowed, actually, since the food is more or less ready to eat, and given the quantity of food available, the Valentians simply let them have some. After all, who knows how hungry some of them might be.

Next on the list would be people Wattamolla, it seems. To be honest, the Valentians don’t exactly know who they are, but they don’t want to be rude with it. In fact, a few of the Valentians have done some homework and would check up on what Wattamolla is like, as well as their custom and language. Jolyn would be the one to know a little bit of their language… because she is Jolyn.

The armoured limo parked outside the gate and out came a couple of people.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ahh, hello there, and welcome to my humble home! You must be Ms. Jacinda Adel, and… Ms. Goldeen Lundoff? Where is she? Ahh, anyway,… I have heard about the both of you from a few of the dossiers that we got. Well, no problem, and don’t worry about it! And you are welcome for the hospitality as well.”

Jolyn would whisper into the comms for Valentijn at that moment.

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: [Whispering] Pana rokosg pol. That means “Solidarity for all”!

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: [Whispering] Ahh, gotcha. [Normal voice] Anyway, welcome, and please do make yourself at home! I am sure that you will have a lovely time here, and hey, there’s plenty of food for everyone!

The Valentians would once again watch Adel go off into the White House on her own.

-----

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: So, one of them is not around, and I have grounds to believe that they might be a bit… suspicious.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Aww, dear, maybe she just couldn’t make it!

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: I saw two people out of that car just now. The other, I don’t know where she went…

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: I have a pretty nagging feeling that one of them is a spy. Though of course, let us not jump to conclusions. Maybe she went to the toilet, or something?

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Hmm, more and more people, more trouble… still, I don’t want to make this inhospitable for the guests. We just need to keep an eye out for them and make sure that they don’t do anything funny.

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Got it, Val! You can count on me!

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: And me too!

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Gwen, you may absolutely NOT erase violators out of existence. Just kick them out to the front door!

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: I swear, I will never do that!

The next to arrive would be… not exactly desirable, but what choice does Valentijn have? He already sent out the invites, so it would be rather unkind of him to cut them off and bar them from entering for no apparent reason. Though it is indeed his house and his party, that would not be the sort of thing that they do.

The accent, the welcoming, it seems pretty jarring for Valentijn, whom he listened silently while talking telepathically to Clarissa.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: [TTT] Oh my good God, these two. I don’t know why I even bother, Clarissa, but they are here.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: [TTT] Indeed! Well, maybe something good can come out of it, you know? I mean, it won’t be that bad, right?

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: [TTT] I really, really hope not. Last thing I want is them tearing apart the place.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: [TTT] I am sure that it will be fine, dearie. Don’t worry about it!

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ahh right, where was I? Oh yeah, the Chancellor! Good to see you around and yeah… I hope that we can come to a peaceful conclusion.

As the Chancellor finished talking, they would find themselves walking into the White House, again without any problems… miraculously.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: [TTT] Ugggh, what a speech.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: [TTT] Well, maybe he still mean it sincerely!

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: [TTT] I damn hope so. I swear, they better not start anything.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: [TTT] I hope so as well!

Another shadow descended down the White House. It got larger until the object creating it descended towards the ground. It… it was a train, a magical train. A very large train that landed at the front of the White House, it seems. Miraculously, neither the train nor the rails hit anything too important, and other than frightening a few people, all is well.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Well, the people around the multiverse never failed to amuse me!

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: I know right? That was pretty amazing! And pretty too, haha! A magical train, woo-woooo!

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Hahaha, you are very cute, dear!

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Aww, thank you, Vallie!

It would be none other than Queen Freya, and the three other guests – Astrid, Bjørn, and Olav. Freya, however, would seem to have dashed towards Ambrosia, though luckily in front of him. It would be a little awkward for him, but he still tried his best to welcome his guests.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Hello, and welcome to- my… home… Ahh, what a surprise to see another guest, I see. Good, good… so err… [softly] Please do make yourself at home. Ms. Freya, Ms. Astria, Mr. Bjorn, and Mr. Olav, I presume… I got it in a list, hehe. Please, please, come in!

Maybe it was just that Freya was excited to see another person around. Either way, they too would be cleared for entry by the security checkpoint.

As they waited more and more again, after seeing the train making its entry, Angeline would notice another portal opening up, seemingly in the color of a Valentian flag.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Well, that’s unusual! Green-and-pink portal? Wow, they really love that Valentian color, haha!

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: What a very strange set of coincidences! So… from the list and what Jamie told me, that would be someone from Inkopolitia!

Jamie Izabella Æstriðr Clementine Eirian: Err, to be more precise, Inkopolitian revolutionary and writer María Fernanda Calamar de la Veemo (Or simply María).

Marcus Alan Ariel Baptiste Reynolds: Ahh, a writer. How delightful! I would have a lot of stuff to talk to her.

Out comes a woman, though seemingly dazed.

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Must be the teleportation that is doing her in.

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: I think they will wear off soon. Hello there! Ms. Maria, is it? We are the Valentians!

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Hello there, Miss! We are expecting you, and we are glad to see you! Are you all right? I think… I think you look a little dazed. Don’t worry, the teleportation effects would go away… at least, I hope so!

Germaine would try to nurse the woman, seeing if she would need any help. Maria would be free to interact with Germaine at this point.

At this point, the party would more or less be kicking in. The Valentians are getting busier, and the guests are talking more and more, probably having the best fun that they could ever had. While Germaine escorted the dazed woman that came out of the portal, the Valentians would see yet another person coming in. In a parking lot right beside the White House, a rather old but pristine looking car would park inside, with a man coming out of it.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Oooh, ooh! That’s Zkto! The friend from Uvoan!

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ahh, fantastic! I can’t wait to meet him! This would be a wonderful opportunity to talk to him more, hehe.

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: He sent me a rather awesome email previously. It was fantastic in what he wrote to me!

As Zkto walked along the front yard and into the White House, he would come across Valentijn, waiting and staring at him. Granted, Valentijn was smiling, but his helmet did not display that.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ahh hello there, Mr. Zkto! It’s been a while. We have been expecting you! Please, please, do make yourself at home! As you can tell, there are a lot of people around already! Oh and don’t worry about it, you are right on time and as expected. The timing is pretty flexible, really.

He would make into the security checkpoint flawlessly. After all, no weapons!

Another black sedan would pull up as soon as the Valentians finished talking to Zkto.

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Ohh wow, these people never stop coming! Nothing wrong with that, though.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: I agree! Just means that there are a lot more people than we originally thought!

Out from the black sedan, is a woman in religious robes, as well as with a couple of rather pointy ears, it seems… as well as multiple tails.

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: I swear, Gwen, please don’t tell her that she looks like Tails!

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: Whattt? No I won’t! Welll…. I will try not to!

At the same time, another sporty car would come in, a kitsune exiting the driver’s seat, as well as two children from the back. She seems a little… ethereal.

Jenny Claudia Sombra Linette Hoshiko: Wow, what a group! Nothing wrong, of course. Just… this world is so vast!

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Yep, that’s what happens when we are connected to the Omniverse.

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: Well, I played some part in that… wink!

Valentijn would welcome them once again.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Hello there! You must be High Priestess Mai Chie, and you must be Sakura Mori, Kiki, and Ren! Ahh, you all look familiar to me! No no, don’t worry about that. I just mean that I might have seen you folks before in a positive way. I am Valentijn, but just call me Val, that will do! Anyway, please do come in, and it’s such a pleasure to see you all!

Another pass through the security checkpoint. No problem, no problem!

As the Valentians said their greetings to the High Priestess, another car pulled in after 3 minutes.

Jamie Izabella Æstriðr Clementine Eirian: Hmm, what a humble person, I must say. Quite a nondescript vehicle, but of course, there is nothing wrong with that.

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Sometimes, you have to stay humble with this sort of thing, I suppose. One way or another… any idea who that is?

Jamie Izabella Æstriðr Clementine Eirian: I am going to hazard a guess that they are from Astoria… I don’t know.

Jamie was right; out came a man presenting as the PM of Astoria. Robert Paisley is his name, locking his car at the parking lot.

As he walk to the White House, he seems to be filled with awe. It was more or less the good gardening job from Holly, the Valentians would thought, but it was obvious that it was due to the sheer size of the place.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ahh hello there! I am Valentijn, and I am the grand host of this party! I am very glad to see you around, of course! You must be Mr. Robert Paisley. I know, we have not met each other until now, but please, make yourself at home! I am sure that we will be well-acquainted and be friends when we are done here!

And last but not the very, very least, at least for now… a white Ford Fiesta would pull up, with some flames that roared from the wheels. The car has seen better days, and while the others are wondering who the heck they are, the Valentians know.

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: Are they who I think they are?

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: You said it, Gwen! It’s them, without a doubt!

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: It’s the Stanierians! Wooo-hoo!

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Dammit, Gwen, I wanted to say that!

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: What the- Jolyn, Clarissa said that! Gawd, why is it always me...... ;_;

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: You are too easy to banter with, Gwen, haha!

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Aww, hell yes! It’s them! It’s finally them! It’s been so damn long!

Jamie Izabella Æstriðr Clementine Eirian: I suppose this calls for an even more celebration!

Out came Ennio, Sing, Sandro, and Kako. All of them have not been seen for so long, and yet, so very familiar. Valentijn and Clarissa rushed to the front to welcome them.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Hello hello! Ahh, it is you, my friends! Mr. Sing… Mr. Ennio… Mr. Sandro… and Ms. Kako! You are all looking amazing as always! Glad to see you, glad to see you! So… please do enjoy yourself! Here, my lovely wife will show you around!

Clarissa, in her 9 feet body, would approach them and gave them the biggest wholesome smile she can muster.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Ooooh, goodness gracious, I am so happy to see you guys! It’s been sooo long! How are you? Thank you for making your time here! It’s such an amazing time for us all, haha! Come in, come in!

And of course, the Stanierians would also make their way inside without any problem at the security checkpoint.

Valentijn and Jamie, as well as the welcoming committee, would turn around back to the entrance gate, and watch.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Well, now we wait for the others again!

Jamie Izabella Æstriðr Clementine Eirian: I am sooo darn excited, indeed! Who knows who else will be coming! I can think of a lot of names on top of my head!

[Quebec-Libre]

"Pleasure's mine, Mrs. Taissa. Yes, before you ask, I have heard of you."

The Emperor of Quebec looked at the tall creature, barely intimidated by the height difference.

"As for coming inside, I don't see why not, Right Miss?" He said as he turned to Maria.

[Khoronzon]

Despite General Valentijn's enormous size, Emperor Narcissus was still ever-so-slightly taken aback by his remark.

"Smaller folks... I never expected I'd be called that. Granted, I guess it *is* warranted in this case." Narcissus smiled and laughed softly before continuing. "I appreciate your welcome. Don't worry about the size of the place - I may be small, but I'm pretty used to staying in massive buildings. We Khoronzonites love grandiose monuments. My own house, if you can call it that, is about this size." As he spoke, Chimaira slithered up his arm, wrapping itself around his shoulders and peeking at Valentijn from behind the Emperor's back.

"You're pretty tall," Iranon said in his usual dazed tone after waking up from his stupour. Taking a moment to collect himself, he went on: "You have a nice place. I wasn't sure about coming here at first, but it's nice. I like it here. You seem like a good guy." He then slouched back against the bar counter, shut his eyes, and faced the ceiling.

Narcissus laughed and shook his head. "I hope you don't mind my friend here. He won't cause any trouble of course, he's just... Something." Chimaira then perked up, opening all its eyes and flickering its three tongues as it stared intently at Valentijn. "I forgot to introduce you - this is Chimaira, my pet, uh... Yeah, my pet. Don't worry about what kind of pet it is, it doesn't really have a species. In any case, I think it likes you."

[Nu Alaska]

The High Priestess gave a brief, polite bow. "I thank you for the welcome. It has been a long time since I was able to travel like this."

The two children had showed up at the entrance before their mother. Kiri, the yūrei, flew up closer to eye level with Valentijn. "Hello sir! Thank you for letting me and my sister come here!"

She seemed very cheerful for a ghost. Her sister, on the other hand, was intimidated by how tall Valentijn and his friends were, and didn't say anything. Sakura walked up next to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright, Ren. These people are friends." She had a warm, comforting smile.
Sakura turned to face Valentijn. She gave a bow similar to the one Mai Chie had given, and Ren mimicked her. "Thanks for having us here. It should be a fun day."

Though officially she was here to assist the High Priestess, who had little firsthand experience with other nations, it was clear that she also saw this as a vacation for her and her children.

[Stanier]

snip

"Eh-heh! Un piacere vederti! Valentijn, Clarissa, Gwen, Jolyn, e Jamie! Isn't this a good welcoming committee? I wouldn't miss questa opportunità for the life of me!" Exclaimed Sing, arms open as a friendly gesture

"Hey! Val! Big guy! Keepin' high I hope? As if I need to ask! As for the rest of y'all, keep it smooth fellas!" Loudly said Ennio, first gesturing to everyone's favorite giant and then falling back to the rest of the group

Sandro, so used to being the tallest one on the groups he took part in, was a little put off due to the Valentians, by kept his cool and greeted, his uneasiness kept his greeting short though, well, that and the fact he didn't know half the people greeting him anyway.

"Ah, si. Buenas noches. Val, Clari, Gwen..." He then glanced at Jolyn and Jamie "Emmm... Señoritas... Glad to be here!"

Kako, being her usual childish self, ran to hug the Valentians as well as she could, seeing her trying to hug Valentijn was hilarious though, since she only got to hug the back of his feet.

"Oh my big friends! So glad to see you guys in person once again! And this time outside of awkward situations!"

As Clarissa spoke, Sandro sneaked away and got to Zkto'. Leaving the others to take up on Clarissa's invitation to being shown around.

"Well! I would be delighted! This place is the size of a shopping mall! I sooo~ could get lost"

Ennio took Kako on his arms by the waist, before saying something short.

"Dear, you ain't gettin' lost if I got a saying in it"

"Ennio-samaa~" Bemoaned Kako, trying to break free from Ennio's grasp as she blushed a little

Sing simply chuckled at the affection of those two before replying to Clarissa

"Well Clarissa, it would be un grande onore, but per allora? I just want to hang around here in the main hall, I'd very much like to parlare con alcuna gente I haven't spoken to in a while. I might take on la invitazione sometime later though, I'd like being shown around quest' lugare"

[A m e n r i a]

Tianshi was pleasantly surprised to learn that Valentijn still remembers him. He wanted to exchange more words with the big friendly giant, but he understood that he was busy and had lots of guests to welcome, and so he entered the White House, going through security smoothly. He wasn't the type to carry weapons. He didn't loke to or need to. Most of the times, his fists were enough to defeat whatever demon, robot, or 50-foot mosnter threatening the day.

Upon entering, he looked around and saw a wide array of different people, from the usual dignitary to...a woman with a cat! A cat! The Celestial briskly approached her and greeted her. "Hello..That's a cute cat you got. Is it a boy or a girl?"

[Uvoan]

At this point, the party would more or less be kicking in. The Valentians are getting busier, and the guests are talking more and more, probably having the best fun that they could ever had. While Germaine escorted the dazed woman that came out of the portal, the Valentians would see yet another person coming in. In a parking lot right beside the White House, a rather old but pristine looking car would park inside, with a man coming out of it.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Oooh, ooh! That’s Zkto! The friend from Uvoan!

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ahh, fantastic! I can’t wait to meet him! This would be a wonderful opportunity to talk to him more, hehe.

Gwen Tracer Allison Fate Hepburn: He sent me a rather awesome email previously. It was fantastic in what he wrote to me!

As Zkto walked along the front yard and into the White House, he would come across Valentijn, waiting and staring at him. Granted, Valentijn was smiling, but his helmet did not display that.

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ahh hello there, Mr. Zkto! It’s been a while. We have been expecting you! Please, please, do make yourself at home! As you can tell, there are a lot of people around already! Oh and don’t worry about it, you are right on time and as expected. The timing is pretty flexible, really.

He would make into the security checkpoint flawlessly. After all, no weapons!

Zkto', having been confronted by two people, decided to deal with the first one- The rather gracious hosts, so he could focus on socializing with other people.

Zkto' smiled, as he looked at the [rather large] hosts of the party- "I am of course, rather gadl to hear that- And yes, it is truly active. Very few people would miss out on this dinner afterall." Zkto' still felt under-prepared without his usual pistol, but he took it with aplomb... "And, of course, I must thank all of you for deciding to host this party- It is a great excuse to leave Uvoan." Zkto' finished with, as he turned his attention to the other person that had attracted his attention...

snip

They both entered, and greeted those at the entrance, but as they passed through, Kako noticed a few familiar faces, she then pulled Sandro, who also noticed the presences after a few seconds. They went where Zkto', Ambrosia, Frøya, and Amaki were talking. But Kako suffered a change of heart and ran outside to see where Ennio and Sing were, so Sandro shrugged it off and kept going, seeing Zkto' in the crowd, he already knew he was going to approach first.

"¡Buenas noches! ladies and gentlemen" He told to the group, before turning to Zkto' "Say, aren't you Zovban? Zkto' Zovban? He oído a ton of stories about yourself, most of them are about intentos de magnicidio, but whatever. I'm Sandro Mèndez, Attorney General of Stanier, un placer meeting you in person"

Sandro extended his hand for a handshake, apparently legitimately glad of meeting Zkto'.

Zkto' glady shook his hand- Sandro Mendez, that's what his name was..."That, that I would be... I am not too suprised my reputation preceeds me in some ways- Especially with my history of... He quickly thought, running a mental translation- 'Intentos de magnicidio', as you would say." He soon let go of the handshake, returning his hand to his side. "We have heard much about each-other, but it is nice to get a chance to meet in person, finally." He smiled, before a thought struck him... "How much of Staniers government is at this party, if I may ask? It'd be an interesting chance to meet a fair few of them."

[Aurevbush]

"Hello Val!" Baize was delighted by the tall AI's simple and friendly welcome. "Nice house you've got here." "Sorry our third guy couldn't come, but we're planning on enjoying every bit of the gathering. I hope you have good cocktails my good friend.", Boyd commented humbly.

After a warm greeting with Valentine at the entrance, the President and Boyd walk down the foyer which to the latter's expectations, was filled with different types of people, some human, some humanoid with purple skin color, others with tentacles, wings, or fur. President Baize wearing a blue work dress and white earrings, and Boyd in his blackish grey tuxedo with a orange tie, strolling and acknowledging the opulence of carpet, pictures, and furniture inside the room.


Physical description of President Baize

Dr. Stewart Boyd, Director of Top Secret Multiversal and Unexplainable Affairs Board

President Baize looked around at people chilling in different areas of the room, sipping some refreshments and chatting about their worlds back home. She personally wanted to start a conversation with one of them, maybe with their accomplice, heck maybe even an entire group just to laugh about matters usually discussed in feminine gatherings. The doctor, on the other hand, wanted insightful discussions with heads of state or a counterpart that dedicated their time to understand the multiverse theory.
As much as he wanted to tell the tales back home of interspecies detente, the wars for hegemony, fascism, and daily struggles in Aurevbush, he did know that not everybody from another dimension wanted to full fledged history lecture from a theoretical physicist. He then went deep into thought,
"The story of Aurevbush is not that far off from the stories of European colonialism, American statehood, and medieval folklore found in the "Earth dimensions" I [sic] studied in my time. We're just 50 years ahead of ya." This very statement he had prepared for an adventure like this, could be rehearsed to the other party guests to clear off any confusion as to what is their nation similar to Aurevbush and the Ercorabian planet. Nonetheless, he was more than happy to answer any question his newfound friend asked about the anthropology and current events back home.

To the right, the two saw a dashing Astorian making converse with one of lavish imperial clothing. A little ahead, they see a priestess with two children running around.
"They seem nice."

To left, Boyd glances at the inkling (hybrid cephalopod in his head) smiling sharing some history with the Quebecois Emperor in a trenchcoat. Likewise, Baize briefly eyes them before turning her head to Boyd.

"So, what do you think, Madam President?" Dr Boyd smiled sheepishly.

[Hapilopper]

To say the least, the Hapiloppians were overjoyed to see the Valentians. The four Team Blue drivers had competed with Clarissa Alanis Star, Jolyn Helen Ceeta and Gwen Tracer Allison all last season, and Marty Lewis had become familiar with the Valentians and their hospitality. It didn’t hurt matters the fact that Chet had raved all about *that* bed he had gotten from the Valentians.

“Trust me, it was worth the major reconstructive efforts to my house and dealing with the city’s planning and zoning department,” Chet Byrd said jokingly that morning. “Maybe some of those bean-counters in the Hapilopper City government should come to Valentine Z so they know what I was talking about.”

“Ahh, hello there, my friends!” Clarissa said. “Oooh, fancy suits you are wearing, Mr. Holmes! I like it, it suits you, haha! I am so sorry about that arm, though!”

“Thanks, Clarissa,” Chris Holmes responded. “It’s getting better by the day but the doctor told me it’ll be another six weeks before they take the cast off and eight weeks before I’m cleared to drive. Good thing the NSSCRA season doesn’t get started for a while. Thanks for the compliment about the suit, by the way.”

“Yeah, we spent most of Tuesday at one of the department stores in Hapilopper City picking these suits out and getting them fitted,” Drake Stevenson responded, showing off his all-white tuxedo. “Check this out. I’m going to wear this to the next wedding I’m invited to or I decide to crash. Hell, I might wear this after I win the World Grand Prix Championship next year.”

“That thing’s going to get red wine all over it, Stevenson,” Chet said, shaking his head. “You’re going to rub someone the wrong way and they’re going to throw a glass of wine at you. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was one of the Sherpas over there or hell, those guys that came in from whatever that spaceship-looking thing is out there.”

“Well, it’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Drake said. “And if it happens, you know I throw a mean left hook.”

Chet chuckled. This was not the time for physical altercations to break out, not in the Valentian Dinner, and not in the house of individuals that had been so good to the Hapiloppians.

“Drake, if you start a fight and get us thrown out of this place, I’ll kick your ass myself,” Chet shot back. “And then I’ll tell the Hapiloppian government it was you and then I’ll have President Mathis’s people kick your ass too.”

“Ooooh, nice suits!” Gwen said. “Like Clarissa said, the cast, what abo…”

Chet, Frank and Drake’s eyes all went wide like dinner plates. They were scared to death that Chris and/or Marty would be able to explain whatever the hell Marty had drawn on Chris’s cast. Meanwhile, Chris was ready to explain it and a huge smile appeared on Marty’s face. He wanted to shock at least one or two people from a different nation.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately for Marty, Jolyn gave Gwen a look to tell her to please not ask about the cast.

“I’m going to get you to explain that drawing one day, Holmes,” Marty said. “Hopefully when we’re at this dinner. Now I’m hungry, let’s go eat.”

And boy oh boy, how good the food looked. The five went through the line and picked out some lovely-looking food, and lovely-tasting food.

[Stanier]

Zkto' glady shook his hand- Sandro Mendez, that's what his name was..."That, that I would be... I am not too suprised my reputation preceeds me in some ways- Especially with my history of... He quickly thought, running a mental translation- 'Intentos de magnicidio', as you would say." He soon let go of the handshake, returning his hand to his side. "We have heard much about each-other, but it is nice to get a chance to meet in person, finally." He smiled, before a thought struck him... "How much of Staniers government is at this party, if I may ask? It'd be an interesting chance to meet a fair few of them."

As soon as Zkto' finished questioning, Sandro brought his hand up to his chin, and gave it a deep thought. "Bueno... There's three people from the executive branch, those being Sing, el Presidente, Ennio, el Vice Presidente... And those are the only ones that are relevant, because the third one is literally the latter's secretary..." He gave Ennio and Kako a little glance, those two being in the middle of a hug "Mirá a esos dos. Am I the only one who thinks they are a couple? Bah, no importa. Either way, I come representing the Judiciary, or as we know it back home, Procurattoria. In normal circumstances a person representing the Legislature would also come pero... Ocurre que our equivalent to a Speaker of The House is my unhealthily obsessed ex, so it was either her, or me, and for obvious reasons, Sing gave me la invitación to tag along"

[The Inkopolitian State]

OOC:

Hey guys, Scarce Ink, Inky, Amanda, Surume or how you want to call me here. I’d like to apologize to everyone here, Quebec-Libre specially, because of my erratic response times. I’m going through rough stuff in life right now, and that has left me deeply demotivated when it comes to RP.

I hope you guys understand, and I look forward to resuming my activity in this thread
-Inky

[The Sherpa Empire]

Frank Bronson and Chet Byrd were sitting on a couch, drinking some beers and taking in a spot of people-watching. They were enjoying the sights of people they had never seen or met before. World leaders, heads of state and what have you. Any attempt at conversing with these individuals was less than successful, and maybe it was because of the fact that Chet was nervous as hell trying to stay on his best behavior.

“Maybe you should have shouted to one of those emperors that you ran a whole NSSCRA race in a chicken suit,” Frank said, laughing.

“Can it, Bronson, that day sucked,” Chet responded.

But then Chet saw someone out of the corner of his eye. Probably someone he didn’t get along with all that well because of a language barrier, but at least it was someone just like him. Er, two people just like him. A huge smile came over Chet’s face when he saw them.

“Holy crap, Frank, it’s Dinggu and Rinzi!” Chet said.

Frank turned around, trying to find the two Sherpan drivers. “Seriously?” Frank asked. “They’re here? I’m gonna go say hi to them!”

“Good luck, I don’t know how well their English is,” Chet responded. “Ah, hell, let’s go over there and try to make conversation. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Uh, one of them suspecting we’re up to no good,” Frank replied without missing a beat.

“Eh, that’s Chris Holmes’ job to be up to no good. Let’s go see them.”

Speaking of Chris Holmes, he, Drake Stevenson and Marty Lewis were still yukking it up in their own corner. The three had taken a seat at some table, were enjoying some food and yes, were properly lit from a day’s worth of drinking. The three were telling stories rather loudly – possibly so others could hear them. They weren’t all that bothered with doing anything but being themselves.

There were all kinds of stories being told – like the time Drake got all of Team Blue kicked off a cross-country flight after experiencing the after-effects of a nine-burrito lunch and learning, the hard way, how an airplane toilet works.

“They had to pry me off the toilet!” Drake said. “You ever felt a crowbar pry your ass off a toilet? It’s not comfortable.”

At that point, Chet and Frank walked on past, heading over to greet their fellow drivers.

“Hey Byrd!” Drake shouted. “Where you headed?”

“Dinggu Wang and Rinzi Zakhilwal are here,” Chet said. “Let’s go say hi to them, or at least try to.”

Tashi Sherpa's English was better than Rinzi's or Wang's, so when the Hapiloppians came over to chat, she found herself playing translator. She wasn't really as interested in racing as any of the men were. Some of their stories went into more detail than she needed, but she was polite about it and didn't make it too obvious if she got bored. Even if she wasn't THAT much of a racing buff, she still felt bad for Wang when he got to rambling about how hard it had been to afford his old "career" in the Nanchang Racing Club with its pitiful budget and trivial prizes. Before he got into NSSCRA, Wang had spent a couple decades racing there, frustrated with the low quality of competition and the constant financial problems. The Hapiloppians already knew Wang had gotten a late start on his career, but he'd never had anyone to translate for him so he could explain the situation in this much detail, talking about how the financial strain had ruined his marriage and how he'd spent his life savings trying to get into NSSCRA 7 -- only to get beaten out by Kai Qiang and Liangmei Li. Then when the Sherpa Empire got it's 3rd charter back from Saint Kanye, it was given to Tsering Chu because her sponsors were the ones that put up the money to buy it back. It had been infuriating, watching Chu race instead of him. It was especially hard not being able to complain without looking like a jealous asshole. People liked Chu, so Wang couldn't get much sympathy if he complained about her.

[Bloodshade]

Freya listened as Ambrosia told her all about her brief stint as a math tutor in her college days. Herself, she believed that academia was quite a useless endeavor. After all, Blodrike was mostly a hunter-gatherer society, where even reading and writing were optional. So she found it incredible that others would voluntarily swim into a sea of numbers, Greek letters and funny symbols, let alone enjoy it. At least, that was her own view. But Freya knew that university meant a lot to Ambrosia, and didn't want to hurt her feelings. So she politely declined Ambrosia's offer to teach her math.

"It's so sweet that you want to teach me," she said. "But I'll have to pass on this offer. I've tried it before and it didn't work, so I've pretty much accepted that math isn't my thing and nothing's gonna change that. Thus it's for the best, that I stop torturing myself with this. After all, I didn't live..." *glances at Astrid*

Astrid: *checks her pocket watch* "One thousand, one hundred and thirty-nine summers and winters."

"... just to stress myself to death over numbers." *to Astrid* "Thanks again, Computer!"

With that out of the way, Freya turned towards the talking black cat to hear what he had to say. But before that, Ambrosia told her that Salem was actually a human who'd been trapped in cat form by a spell cast upon him. Obviously, Freya wanted to free him from the curse, and she was confident that her own magic would be powerful enough to reverse the original spell. But she quickly abandoned the thought once she learned that Salem was a war criminal, and that the spell was to keep him under control. She decided it was for the best that Salem remained a cat. Besides, Freya thought he was really cute in this form. Salem asked Freya why she liked dating Ambrosia, so she gave him the whole story.

"It was one summer morning. That was the day when the first new P231-G passenger locomotive entered service. I was at the Regnbuehavn Central station to cut the ribbons and sacrifice a horse on the tracks, when this pretty blossom caught my eye. It was love at first sight! I took her for a spin in my fancy ride, then treated her to a nice dinner aboard my train on the way to my palace. At first I found it unusual that she never drank blood, considering she's a vampire. But she loved my horse meatballs! And I'll never forget the excitement on her face when I showed her my model train collection! Aren't trains the best thing ever? And that, folks, is why she's my girlfriend."

Noticing the other guests making their way to the entrance, Freya thought she and Ambrosia should start going in as well.

"Look, they're letting everyone in," she said. "Let's sit together, shall we? We'll have all the time in the world to continue our chat."

Ambrosia tilted her head upon understanding Freya's viewpoint when it comes to education. She felt rather confused and even somewhat attacked by Freya's dismissal of higher education but just as quickly as she became bothered, Ambrosia relaxed her posture and responded with a quiet snort and re-assuring smile on her face. She came to the realization that Freya found her life's calling and it simply wouldn't be right for Ambrosia to attempt to push her out of that comfort zone for the sake of her own views. Still, that didn't stop Ambrosia from trying to persuade Freya one last time.

"Well, Are you completely positively sure? I sure as hell have the ability to be fun and interactive tutor. You know, I might not convince you now but I'll most definitely think of something in the near future. In any case, here's my card. Just remember, I don't charge for sweethearts like you."

Ambrosia turned her attention to Salem with a disappointed look on her face as she wondered why he'd be interested enough to prod Freya about their relationship but upon listening to Freya, Ambrosia's face lit up upon hearing her reminisce about their first meeting and subsequent date. As odd and foreign as Freya was to Ambrosia that day, she somehow still felt a connection forming with the vampiress queen which could also be said for Freya. You could even say there was a 'zing' between the two.

"Of course, I could never forget that day as well as many other days when we were together. We're a dynamic duo, Salem!"

Salem wrinkled up his nose upon witnessing the lovey-dovey exchange between the two ladies with noticeable gagging sound coming from him. He stood up to share his opinions about what was said so far even though no one asked him to.

"So...you two got together because Ambrosia appreciated your train models and probably also because you thought she was bombshell? Does that mean I get a shot with you when I turn human and play with your toy trains?...I can't remember the last time I went on a date."

Salem broke into a soft, meek sob when he reminded himself that the last date he had was probably centuries ago. Ambrosia picked up Salem in one arm and rocked him a bit.

"Come on, I'll find you someone to date when we go back home. Now pull yourself together. The White House is going to be filled with food as far as the eye can see...but don't stress eat!"

Ambrosia simply locked her arms with Freya and nodded in agreement when Freya suggested that they should enter the White House.

"Alright now, come along, Freya. Let's enter the White House and pick a table!"

Tianshi was pleasantly surprised to learn that Valentijn still remembers him. He wanted to exchange more words with the big friendly giant, but he understood that he was busy and had lots of guests to welcome, and so he entered the White House, going through security smoothly. He wasn't the type to carry weapons. He didn't loke to or need to. Most of the times, his fists were enough to defeat whatever demon, robot, or 50-foot mosnter threatening the day.

Upon entering, he looked around and saw a wide array of different people, from the usual dignitary to...a woman with a cat! A cat! The Celestial briskly approached her and greeted her. "Hello..That's a cute cat you got. Is it a boy or a girl?"

Just before Ambrosia made her way to the party, a fellow guest came gave Ambrosia a quick, warm welcome but she could clearly observe that this man was more than interested in Salem. Salem reacted by flattening his ears against his head and edging away from this stranger.

"Excuse me sir but I can speak for myself. The name's Salem and yes, I'm a man but no, I'm not going to be sold off to you just because you like my fur and would like to use me as a breeding machine. Besides, you smell weird. Did you forget to wear cologne or are you not human?"

"Apologies for Salem's behavior. As he already said, Salem's a man but I wouldn't attempt to get close to him. He's not exactly a friendly person as you can clearly see. I believe we haven't met before! The name's Ambrosia. Come along now, let's get to know each other inside rather than in the open air."

As the Hapiloppians, along with the rest of the people, went into the White House normally and past the security checkpoint, the Valentians heard faint sounds of a bell from a distance. At least, at least Clarissa does, given her super sensitive hearing equipment. It was none other than Ambrosia herself, riding her bike towards the White House. There is a basket attached on the bike. The Valentians turned their attention back to the entrance of the White House.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Vallie, Vallie! Look who came!

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ahh, Ms. Ambrosia! That lovely vampire woman, haha! I am so happy to have her around. I must say, it has been so darn long.

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: I spot with my eye… a kitty cat!

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Geez, of course you do, Clarissa! You got those powerful eyes!

Clarissa Alanis Star Coraline Taissa: Hm hm, indeed! ^^

Jolyn Helen Maxine Caulfield Ceeta: Haha, never stop what you are doing, Clarissa. [She gave a heartful smile at Clarissa]

-----

Valentijn Samantha Maxwell Constantine: Ahh, Ms. Ambrosia! My fullest greetings and extensions to you! We are all expecting you as always, and I am very happy on behalf of the many Valentians around, since you can make it! Ohh, and cute kitty as well! I unfortunately don’t have his name on the list… but fear not, fear not! That’s not me saying that he’s not invited; I simply don’t know his name, that’s all. Still, that aside, you must have had a tiring journey, so please make your way inside!

Ambrosia walked up straight to Valentine, stopped a few meters away from his feet, and greeted him and his companions, accompanied with a cheerful wave directed to each one.

"It's pleasure to see you all here! I'm extremely happy to see all the effort you lot put into this event. I'd love to make my own someday but frankly, I'm not too sure people back home would be as open minded as I am. Apologies for the bluntness! Anyways, I brought my cat slash prisoner here. Salem, say hi properly to these lovely people."

Salem groaned and rolled his eyes at Ambrosia's request but with a flick to the top of his head by an irritated Ambrosia, he realized it wasn't exactly a request and decided to comply.

"Greetings...oddities. My name's Salem. I do hope you've prepared some excellent food. Otherwise, this entire trip would be for naught...I'm just kidding. Yeah yeah, nice to meet. Can we get inside now, Ambrosia? I'm starving and I don't want to charge you with animal cruelty."

[Hapilopper]

Tashi Sherpa's English was better than Rinzi's or Wang's, so when the Hapiloppians came over to chat, she found herself playing translator. She wasn't really as interested in racing as any of the men were. Some of their stories went into more detail than she needed, but she was polite about it and didn't make it too obvious if she got bored. Even if she wasn't THAT much of a racing buff, she still felt bad for Wang when he got to rambling about how hard it had been to afford his old "career" in the Nanchang Racing Club with its pitiful budget and trivial prizes. Before he got into NSSCRA, Wang had spent a couple decades racing there, frustrated with the low quality of competition and the constant financial problems. The Hapiloppians already knew Wang had gotten a late start on his career, but he'd never had anyone to translate for him so he could explain the situation in this much detail, talking about how the financial strain had ruined his marriage and how he'd spent his life savings trying to get into NSSCRA 7 -- only to get beaten out by Kai Qiang and Liangmei Li. Then when the Sherpa Empire got it's 3rd charter back from Saint Kanye, it was given to Tsering Chu because her sponsors were the ones that put up the money to buy it back. It had been infuriating, watching Chu race instead of him. It was especially hard not being able to complain without looking like a jealous asshole. People liked Chu, so Wang couldn't get much sympathy if he complained about her.

The Hapiloppians did not anticipate hearing the full story from Dinggu Wang, about how he made it to the NSSCRA in his 50s, but when they heard it, they respected him a great deal for it. They heard how Dinggu had spent his life savings trying to make it to the world stage, only to be beaten out by Kai Qiang and Liangmei Li. Sure, there had been a language barrier, but at least there was a translator in Tashi Sherpa who helped the Hapiloppians understand Dinggu’s story.

“And you know something, I’m glad you’ve made it in the series,” Chet Byrd said, hoping it would be properly translated. “And I’m damn glad you got a victory, too. You’re a great man and a great driver.”

Chet meant that, too, just like he did at his Big Ass Stock Car Bash earlier in the year when he saluted Dinggu on his win. He was glad he wasn’t the only one in his 50s out there competing, and he was also glad that he seemed like a nice guy.

As the Haps and the Sherpas went on their way, the Haps expressed gratitude that they got to see them and got to enjoy some time with them. Sure, there had been some incidents along the way, like the Kai Qiang iguana incident and Chris Holmes’ attempts to make nice, and Chet flipping Liangmei Li off, but the Haps liked the Sherpas a hell of a lot more than a good number of people out there.

[A m e n r i a]

Just before Ambrosia made her way to the party, a fellow guest came gave Ambrosia a quick, warm welcome but she could clearly observe that this man was more than interested in Salem. Salem reacted by flattening his ears against his head and edging away from this stranger.

"Excuse me sir but I can speak for myself. The name's Salem and yes, I'm a man but no, I'm not going to be sold off to you just because you like my fur and would like to use me as a breeding machine. Besides, you smell weird. Did you forget to wear cologne or are you not human?"

"Huh!? You talk!?" Tianshi was awestruck when the black cat responded to him, but regained his composure moments later. "I mean of course you talk, I've been to a world where I was a female idol, why wouldn't there be one where cats talk?"

"Apologies for Salem's behavior. As he already said, Salem's a man but I wouldn't attempt to get close to him. He's not exactly a friendly person as you can clearly see."

"Too bad. I was hoping I could pet the little furbaby." He kneeled to get a closer look at Salem, all while grinning and wiggling his finger in front of the cat's face. His expression changed to a neutral one and he put his hand back to his side. "You're right though, I'm not human, not since I died five years ago. I'm a Celestial and I'm the only one in my universe. That would explain the unfamiliarity."

I believe we haven't met before! The name's Ambrosia. Come along now, let's get to know each other inside rather than in the open air."

Tianshi stood back up, facing the cat's owner, this time rather nervous since he just noticed her beauty. She wasn't of Asian descent but her appearance could rival that of Amenrian women. In fact, she reminded him of a certain Chinese woman. All his concubines, both of his wives, none could give him the same feeling he felt 30 years ago when he was hers. Camille. That was her name. For some reason, Ambrosia's soul felt strangely alluring, just as Camille's was. Perhaps this is a chance for him to have a little nostalgia of the excitement, it was too early to say for sure. "I'm Tianshi. Or Cheonsa. Whichever language clicks with you better, it doesn't matter, it's not my real name anyways. But yea, sure, let's head in." An enthusiastic nod and smile followed his statement of agreement.

[Atkemri]

Wells was pleased to see he was remembered by the Valentians while Cavalier conversely waved and made her way to the bar tired or otherwise out of it. After trying and failing to pull Cavalier back to keep from offending their hosts; nervously laughing Wells attempted to excuse the potentially rude actions of his ¨aid¨. ¨Ha, ha aids am I right guys? You know how they are... Nonattentive and everything.¨ Wells was attempting to salvage the situation that he (and probably only he) saw as quickly deteriorating. Meanwhile, Cavalier sat at the bar mostly waiting for something interesting to happen, but not too interesting mostly so the Foundation wouldn´t need her to file an incident report. Seeing a group comprising of two women, a cat, and an Asian man who was previously seen arriving on a set of wings. [i]¨That seems interesting enough¨{/i} she thought as she removed herself from the bar and slinked her way towards the group. She approached them from behind and greeted herself with a simple ¨Hello¨ letting her French accent come through in her pronunciation.

[A m e n r i a]

"Oh hey. You a friend of theirs?" Tianshi responded, being relaxed and informal despite his nation's rigid reputation, especially when it comes to military and law enforcement, which were run by the exact same people. "I'm Tianshi, or Cheonsa, doesn't really matter which you choose to call me. I'm the Heavenly Emperor of Amenria." He extended his hand, ready to shake hers.