The Winter Ball (IC - FULL)

[Kuronami]

When the sun set over the sea in the city of Caloris, Kuronami's long standing capital city, that meant the lovely glow of city lights could light up. Reflecting on the sea and illuminating the streets just as the old gas and oil lamps did centuries ago when this tradition started. The Winter Ball was a chance for the Nobles of the Empire to mix and mingle and the occasional foreign dignitary as well. This year's ball was looking to be a great occasion with many RSVPs from across the globe, between Kuornami's closest friends and other nations with friendly ties and relations, maybe the newcomer as well? We'll wait and see.

A live band was present to play gentle music either to waltz to, step in time to or enjoy a slow dance to as the night would eventually go on. Tables with a spread of various kinds of dishes and food all kind of delectable to pick from with signatures from west to east all finely prepared by the kitchen staff. From the top of the ballroom two large oak doors were opened by the several dozen maids and menservants on duty as the party's hostess Her Grace, Empress Ortfiné Fredericka von Eylstadt dressed in a military uniform instead of an evening gown. She loved to shake it up every once in a while, who doesn't? On her arm, was her date the ever cute and beautiful redheaded companion of hers, Izetta. Draped in a lovely yellow ballroom gown, her lovely red hair tied up in bushy tail The first party in some time the two had been together. Before the doors would officially open as the cars pulled up the already arrived guests which was mostly the Empire's own highest of the high from each domain stood in respect for their leader and couldn't help but awe and admire how bold she was not to mention lovely. Whatever some of the nation thought of her relationship with a woman be it for prudishness or simply against custom of a noble who would sooner or later need to produce an heir to always keep the capital city in Caloris. Others might not mind as much hoping maybe their city would become the next Capital if The Empress kicked it without naming an Heir. Truly complicated the workings of monarchy are. Either way this was Fine's chance to welcome her subjugated Lords and Ladies to her event.

"A fine evening to everyone." She wished just with her usual cheerful smile. It had been a very stressful start to the year, tensions brewing with other nations and Kuronami being caught between being a monarchy that respects self determination of nations but the right of all people, wanting to be a confident and ready nation to stand in defense of it's allies if it came to that. Well thankfully it didn't come to that, the issue seemed to resolve and tensions died down for now so this ball was that perfect time to let that stress go and have a lovely evening. Of course Fine wasn't the only one of her family her, her two sisters were also here, Magdalene for one, the older sister. A rare sight for her to be at any state function, she even missed her own brother's coronation as duke, when she was hoping to find love overseas. Well didn't work out but oh well. And Carpathia their younger sister, old enough though to be at balls. Rona would have loved to come but this was intended more for the older adults compared to their brother's coronation. Both dressed in the finest gowns they could find and be fitted for.


Of course no ball is complete without a special guest for the Empress to invite and that was Duchess Marcella Villa of the UIS of AHSCA. Approaching her first to welcome her and her younger sister to this ball. "Miladies." Fine wished "I'm glad you could be here."

"Well..." Marcella held back a few giggles "I suppose an invite would be hard to refuse when you sent one of your own yachts for us."

"Hehe well I did want to make sure you'd be on time. I feel bad for you, Gisella, you came all the way for my brother's coronation only to have little time to enjoy the party."

"Aww it was no big deal, Your Majesty, I was happy we could be in attendance given big sis was ill at that time." Gisella responded

"Well good news is you're both doing fine and here this evening. Enjoy yourselves." Fine went about the ball floor to greet her various lords and ladies from each domain of Kuronami. While her brother wasn't in attendance it didn't matter becuase technically she was already representing her home domain and country as Empress.

"Lord and Lady Wisteria, thank you for comming this evening."

"Milady you look ravishing this night. I hope you will share a dance with us." Izana requested taking the hands of the two ladies in polite gesture

"Of course, I'll be sure to honor your request, Milord." Moving along was a very rare sight indeed it was Lady Amaterasu Daidouji. More often it was her younger sisters who would be at these functions. "Milady Daidouji. A pleasant surprise you're with us this night."

"You can say my little sisters found a way to get out of this." Amaterasu said, "and it would be quite improper for me to ignore an important function of our Empress."

"Well I'm thrilled. Enjoy the evening I hope I will see the three of you again after. I'll be heading East next week. Well you'll hear all about that soon enough."

"Thank you, I look forward to your visit. In the meantime my compliments to you and your date she looks lovely tonight as well."

"Thank you, Milady" She bowed for the Lady even though being in the Empress's arm usually meant you didn't have to. Next was Hyeon-Mi Il, Lady of Hang-Gang.

"And Lady Il. A great pleasure to see you this evening. Just you, and not your father?"

"Apologies on behalf of my father, Milady he sends his regrets that he was unable to attend."

"Give him my best I expect I will also be seeing him soon"

"Thank you, Milady. And my compliments to you and your date, you both look beautiful."

Last but hardly least was the newly appointed Governor General of Mazomba, Esperanta Putino. "Milady." Fine bid with a nod of hello "Good evening, Your Majesty, good evening to you, Young Miss." Though others had acknowledged Izetta it seemed only Miss Putino was the one to give her something of a more respectable title. Maybe she foresaw wedding bells and thus getting ahead of the game here and this wasn't a simple fling by a rebellious tomboyish Empress.

"Milady." Izetta acknowledged back

"Thank you for coming, Esperanta. I'm glad you could make our first function. How is your daughter doing?" Some casual small talk aside it was soon interrupted by the scurrying feet of Fine's personal maid, Lotte. She'd been sent to urge along "Milady. Pardon the interruptions Miladies but as we speak our first foreign dignitaries are arriving."

"Very good. Thank you, Lotte. Forgive me I seem to have lost track of time, enjoy the evening." That meant Fine had to return to her position to greet her guests at the center of the room while the others could do and move about as they pleased.

Out in the lobby as if welcoming guests into the house the manor butler, Lotte's grandfather and long time servant of the family opened the doors to welcome the first guests inside. "A good evening." The stately old gentleman wished "Please come in."

Carpathia scoffed a little whispering to her sister "Good grief, what's the point of the whole going around and schmoozing?"

"Now now, little sis, tradition and customs are just that" Fine giggled

Mags stood in wide eyed amazement of the slew of gentlemen at her call. "Maggie." Fine snapped her to attention "Huh?"

"Maggie, I know you're excited and all but mind yourself"

"Hey, who's the big sister here?" Magdalen scoffed "I should be telling YOU that."

"Maggie, there will be plenty of strapping men here don't worry. Take time to dance with a few you might finally meet someone."

"oooh you. I swear. Anyway, I'm going to get some cake."

"Hey bring me a chicken wing." Caprathia requested not even sure Magdalen was paying much attention. "You can go too, you don't need to stand at attention with me."

"Ooh sweet relief!" Carpathia wasted little time. "She's an active one." Izetta noted

"She is. Can't sit still some days. Oh well she's fine, I'm sure there'll be a few boys to ask her for a dance. And of course you'll be sure to dance with me, won't you?"

"M-Milady. Yes it would be my great pleasure to dance with you. Oh The Duchess Villa, does she know we have guests from the Sultanate arriving?"

"Well I was hoping to make it a bit of a surprise for her. I believe The Lady Princess Aurelia is also in attendance but it's hard to know if Her Officer briefed her on anything. Guess we'll find out soon."

"You have a bit of a devious side to you."

"Not devious, just want to play matchmaker for the cute couple." she gave her a wink.

[New Visayan Islands]

Allison A. Sanchez, CPA
Royal Palace, Number One Verona Avenue, Caloris, Kuronami
June 20th, AD 2020

It was one thing for Allison to travel to a foreign country that has managed to avoid the scourge of COVID-19 altogether. It was another to compare that with how the Confederation fared; the good Secretary of Finance was part of the majority of patients whose infection ended in their survival, which was precisely why her counterpart in the DFA recommended she be sent on the official trip.
Jack, you magnificent bastard...I wish you could see this and weep, Allison thought as she grinned. She was wearing a black gown as she took a look around before greeting the Empress, bowing down to convey her respect.

[Kyrenaia]

Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
Ball Room of the Royal Palace of Caloris, Kuronami.
Gods, I felt free!
That had a simple reason: Earlier this June, I had done my graduation exams and I had not only received news, that I had passed with flying colours, but also had formally graduated from the Haram Girls' Academy on the 12th of June of this year with the full ceremony.
Grand Vizier Mahmut al-Zahir had held the commitment speech.
I had already packed up my dorm room, hugged the dear life out of my friends with the promise of meeting them again during the summer, before our respective Services started and had been whisked away by a limousine of the motor pool of the Palace of the Azure Hall - to Motya, aboard the Alshaahin, Dad's Motor Yacht, which we had taken to attend this diplomatic occasion, the Winter Ball in Caloris, hosted by Empress Ortfine Herself.
We had arrived, after a motor sprint across the oceans, earlier today and now, after being delivered to the Palace by limousine, I was entering the ball room.
Of course, I was not alone.
There was, of course, my father at my left, the mop of brown hair slicked back, the golden eyes sparkling with confidence, almost arrogance, not as if he owned the place, but like a man, who knew, that he had won - what he had won was clear, but we'll get to that in a moment. None of us wore Fistan Alshams, the Sun Dress and traditional clothes of the Sultanate, mostly due to it being winter in Kuronami. Dad looked simply awesome in suit and tie, full white tie, which looked as natural on him as it could be. Tailcoat, white shirt, white bow tie, standing collar and black pants, leather shoes in black completing it. He wore a wristwatch, a slender, silver device, which kept the time perfectly and was a present from Prince Alrich for his 35th birthday, and had a boutonnière on his lapel.
And he had not one woman on his arm, but two. Hence why he was the winner of the evening.
One of them was of course me, Princess Aurelia bint-Damir, his daughter. My long, blonde hair, which I had from my mother, went down well past my hips in long, flowing locks, kept in check by a few, slim silver hair clips, framing my face gently. My blue eyes shone, a contrast to the olive skin I had from my father. I wore, befitting the occasion, a ball gown, floor length, indigo and with side slits to make it easier to walk in, a square neckline enhancing my assets, embellished with sequins, straps holding it over my shoulders, an A-line dress with a slight train, nothing too long. I didn't wear heels either, just how I liked it.
To my father's other side was his fiancee, they would marry in a week and a half, Princess-Regent Yasmin bint-Atif. She was only seven years older then I was, but she had far less experience in the Diplomatic Circus as I had - this was her first 'serious' trip abroad. Dad and I would guide her through it. She had long, brown hair, though not as long as I had it, going a bit past her shoulders, held back by a few slim, silver hair clips. She, too, wore an evening gown, in her case a red, shoulderless dress with a slight train as well and with a black, silken band running around her waist, a bow knotted at the side. She wore gloves made from Selkie Sea Silk, too, and heels - and she moved in a way in them, which made me a bit jealous, as she moved in them as she had never walked in any other sort of footwear.
I could barely walk in heels.
Behind us was someone, who most certainly did not need heels.
Khana Amina bint-Karim, the Khana of Sheliak and a distant relative of mine (her Great-Grandfather was my Great-Great-Grandfather, with her Grandfather staying in Sheliak and inheriting it, while my Great-Grandmother fell in love with a Prince of Utica). She was well over two meters tall, 2.16 meters, if I remember correctly, her white-blonde hair short, her eyes sparkling like rubies. She smiled, wearing a black evening gown, which she had designed herself, going to the floor with a looooooooooong side slit, making it easy to spot one of her legs, which were as sculptured. A little necklace was the only jewelry she wore, an heirloom of her mother, the pendant sitting on her collarbone.
Behind her, the next pair of our delegation was, Vizier Azad Safir and his wife Tamina, two, who looked like chromatic opposites of one another. Azad was a man with short, white hair and golden eyes, dressed in a suit, which looked similar to Dad's with the exception, that he wore a blood-red shirt and no boutonnière. He was a Vizier and Kyrenaia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and considering, that there have been times, when his predecessor (the Grandvizier Hassan ben Sahid) had looked as if he had just escaped the set of a movie about Kyrenaian Pirates, Azad was dressed quite conservatively.
Tamina, on the other hand, was a pale woman by comparison, which was unsurprising, considering that she was a Jalidi. Her long, black hair was about as long as mine, her blood-red dress a shoulderless evening gown with a half-open back (the Gods alone knew, how it remained on her). She had pointy ears, a sign among the Jalidi of a person being a descendant of a well-respected person and she was one in her own right, too. A fur-scarf and blood red gloves completed the outfit, together with a necklace without a pendant.
And that was how we entered the Ball Room.
Ortfine was, together with her companion Izetta, greeting the guests currently someone I was tempted to put in the general direction of the Confederation of the New Visayan Islands, but I wasn't sure, especially when considering, that only had a short glimpse at her face.
I still smiled softly, though not at Sanchez (a name, which I would hopefully soon learn), but at Ortfine and Izetta.
I was bisexual, in a relationship with a woman, who I hoped would be here. In Kyrenaia, being in a same-gendered relationship was not illegal anymore, but a big taboo. Marrying was still impossible.
I was one of the representatives of a movement, which sought to change that.
Last year around this time, I had mourned the deaths of 13 schoolmates and innocent employees at the Al'Arz Diner in Utica, near the HGA, where I regularly ate for lunch - and which had been the target of a terrorist attack because of me, because of me working to change the Law of Marriage, to allow for homosexual marriage, so that I could marry Marcella, just like Dad would in but one and a half weeks marry Yasmin.
It did not deter me.
And, to be honest, I envied Ortfine a bit. For her, being here with her partner was no issue.
I... I had last seen Marcella, felt her in my arms, months ago... we kept in touch, calling, writing letters, for two and a half years now, only seeing each other at such diplomatic balls or when I sailed over to attend the Festival of Holy Light with her.
Gods, I really needed to find a way to spent more time with her.
Maybe now that I had graduated, a chance would open up?
We will see.
We waited in line, on the lookout for familiar face. Diplomatically, Azad carried a box with him, a little present of the Sultanate, both as a present for the host and as a sign of the thankfulness of the Sultanate and of the Sultana towards the Young Empress, who had stood with Kyrenaia in the aftermath of the Al'Arz Attack, even sending investigators, and who had proven on quite a few occasions to be a friend of the Sultanate.
'Young Empress', in this case, was an appellation of respect.
And I certainly not only envied Ortfine, I also respected her.

[Shikonjima]

Caloris, Empire of Kuronami. June 20, 2020.
For the five Shikonjimanese Royals arriving today, the jump over the Equator had been an exciting one, even though it was not the first one for everyone around, and with a pilot as professional as Genki Furuyama was, no one had been fretting the flight on the RSAF Shouzo, Kyouko's almost personal airplane. However, there had been the moment when Kyouko had learned, that not every head of state was particularly fond of flying, Empress Ortfiné Fredericka von Eylstadt being a prominent example, and this had been the moment she had realized why the Empress of Kuronami was such a rare view in the region Shikonjima was located in.
Although going by yacht could be fun, too.
The Shikonjimanese Royals could quite relate to how complicated things were in a monarchy, even though some things were different back home. Kyouko came to Caloris, well aware, that the city might not be Kuronami's capital city anymore once Kyouko would be an old hag, as it switched depending on where the current Ruler resided, and the Empress wasn't exactly likely to produce an heir for a certain reason ... back in Shikonjima, Nashinya had been agreed on as a location for a planned capital city no matter where the Ruler was from in 1705, prior to which the ongoings with the Clan Wars and the complicated peace negotiations had hindered any progress in that question. Some Rulers of the Domains of Kuronami, who would be present in here, surely wouldn't have minded their own cities becoming the next capital. For a Shikonjimanese, the imagination of the Rulers of seven Duchies, eleven Counties, twenty Baronies, and six territories immediate to the Principality debating about where to locate the capital was quite amusing - and scary. At least nowadays.
No, Shikonjima had been in different trouble as of lately, beginning with the Reincorporation of the seven Duchies of the Ferinan-Archipelago, the endless debates and shitstorms on social media such as Piffle and Setz thereupon, the escalations during demonstrations, fleets of various nations coming for aid, and eventually terrorist attacks, which various foreign secret services, including MND, Mukhabarat, and RBI, had assisted the Oukeikyoku investigating in. Not to mention the confusion false information on the involvement of high-ranked military officers had caused. Or the fake bots spreading false information on social media. Or the poor group of Marine Biology Students whose drone had been shot down.
But now, four months later, all this almost felt ... unreal. While the Oukeikyoku remained at readiness, it almost seemed as if nothing had ever happened, almost awkwardly silent and peaceful. For now. But one never knew ...
For now, however, there were regular obligations to observe again - one of them being this occasion. A ball, hosted by nobody lesser than Empress Ortfiné of Kuronami herself.
As usual, Kyouko brought her younger sister Shiko along, who served as a Royal Advisor in numerous of these sessions taking place in a very certain location in the Royal Palace that was kept secret from the public. Along with the two, Prince Jirou of Shirayuki, notorious for his passion for videogames and being all but brutally honest when it came to expressing his opinion - even though he quite did know when to stay polite. People generally agreed, that living in Shirayuki, the fiefdom looking like a snail on the map due to its long panhandle, would be a fun place to live in, once he would become Count. He had already been around in Schloss Zyng, Teressien, last year.
Jitsuko Sageshima, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, came along as well. Even though this would be less of a political meeting and more of a high society event, making some ties surely couldn't harm. Moriyasu Gonda, a Prince from Fubuki and known as an author and actor, would definitely be more into the fun part of an occasion like this.
Among the guests, there was a woman who could easily pass as a Visayan or Sempornese; her Spanish last name would certainly soon reveal, that the former was the case. And then, there was another delegation, seemingly from Kyrenaia - at least, one of them, technically only half-Kyrenaian, was well-known to everyone. And while it seemed awkward to the Shikonjimanese, that Aurelia-Hime had to fight for the legalization of same-sex marriage, something which had been taken for granted in Shikonjima for millennia, she enjoyed a lot of respect for her efforts in that part of the world. It should go without mentioning, that Shikonjima had condemned the Al'Arz Attack with a surprisingly frank wording. Whoever might have been behind the attack, they had successfully managed to be called "a bunch of honorless, unworthy twats compensating their mental incapabilities with a shameless act of violence" officially. True, Shikonjimanese didn't like people committed to deliberately disturbing Harmony ...
The Empire of Kuronami, along with their RBI, had turned out to be a dependable partner during the investigations in both the Al'Arz Attack as well as the attacks in the Ferinan-Archipelago and Mainland Shikonjima. Kyouko had lost count on how many times she had thanked the Empire's leadership for this, also on behalf of Captain Airi Toyomura and other representatives of the Shikonjimanese authorities. Similarly, the Kyrenaians, the Sharulsi, and other friendly nations had received a thousand thanks as well.
The Shikonjimanese bowed their heads to the Empress; she received friendly greetings and, at least that was what they wished her to reveive, the blessings of the Four Souls.
There would surely be some occasion for some chatter soon - but for now, of course, there were further guests to welcome first.

[Astares Amauricanum]

After the last three months with only the COVID19 outbreak on their mind, it was now time for the Empire of Astares Amauricanum to think again of any other things, among them International Politics.
And since one of the first events on the list was a ball where the Emperor and Empress were invited, this is why we find today the whole remaining Blachkor Dynasty members attending.

The frist to enter the Palace, and greeting the Butler, is Peter Blachkor, retired Emperor, and his wife Genievra. The old couple, well in their nineties, but still looking 20 to 30 years younger, is clad in the traditional outfit of the Empire, known as the Jarningur, or Fer-Jarningur for the formal type. For the male, it consists of a pair of knee high leather boots, pants, a long-sleeved shirt (red wine here), with a sleeveless vest worn over it, and finally, a cravat. For this event, Peter was also wearing a dark green cape over his shoulders.
For Genievra, her attire was more or less the same as her husband, but with a skirt instead of pants.

Behind the old couple, comes their remaining son, Prince Regis Blachkor, and his wife Shiho. Unlike his parents, the Prince is clad in a classic black white-tie suit, with a red bowtie and cummerbund, while his wife is clad in a black and golden Cheongsam dress, clinging to her body and highliting her features.

And finally, behind them, the current Emperor and Empress, Adrean Blachkor "The Third" and Anna Blachkor. Among the three couples, they are the only ones wearing uniforms, specifically Dress Uniforms of the Columbia District Metropolitan Fire Department, where the Emperor and Empress are respectively registered as doctor and nurse. The uniforms are black, without peaked caps, and badges on both shoulders representing the coat of arms of the Fire Department
One thing to note, is that unlike his grandfather and uncle, Adrean has a mask over his mouth and nose, just like his wife, as well as protective gloves over their hands.
A few weeks ago, due to a new spike of COVID cases in the capital, the Imperial Couple had chosen to go on the field and reinforce the medical staff at the Columbia Downtown Hospital, where unfortunately, they had both been contaminated.
Fortunately, thanks to a top notch immune system, they had recovered without a hitch,and although they were considered healed for about a week now, they still had doubts if they were contagious or not, so that's why they were wezring masks and gloves.

And so, like everyone else, the six Astarians stand in line, ready to present their respects to the Empress. In his hands, the Emperor carries a small parcel, with a gift for Ortfiné within.

[Kuronami]

It was one thing for Allison to travel to a foreign country that has managed to avoid the scourge of COVID-19 altogether. It was another to compare that with how the Confederation fared; the good Secretary of Finance was part of the majority of patients whose infection ended in their survival, which was precisely why her counterpart in the DFA recommended she be sent on the official trip.
Jack, you magnificent bastard...I wish you could see this and weep, Allison thought as she grinned. She was wearing a black gown as she took a look around before greeting the Empress, bowing down to convey her respect.

"Oh, good evening to you, madam." Fine was actually a little uncertain who she was but trusted Bianca, Fine's bodyguard who was standing at her side, not in uniform but in a fancy suit actually, saved the day by whispering into her hear. "Welcome. Please, rise and thank you for the polite greeting. Miss Sanchez. I'm glad you are doing well. I heard you were stricken with illness some time ago but you seem no worse for the wear now. I really hope things are doing much better. But as such Kuronami is eager to be of help if needed." Somehow she still couldn't help but get into a little business of the Crown. She cleared her throat "Well that in good time I can have my foreign minister set something up if need be. Anyway I hope your trip was good as well. You're welcome to help yourself to any food and drink of your wishing and if you need anything more any of the staff are here to help." She didn't want to rush anyone along but it wouldn't be long before a line would be forming for her guests to come greet her and sure enough the first few guests were arriving. "Enjoy yourself, I will want to speak more with you later on."

Bianca gestured to the lady which way to properly and gracefully exit from the little square Her Majesty stood in. Given security was situated just ever so elegantly and directly to make sure she'd like the piece of a chessboard to ensure maximum coverage it was important to make sure it was followed to the letter. Up next ah yes, the guests of the Great Sultanate. A mental note for Fine was to make a state visit herself to the far off desert lands but for now how lovely it was to have guests.

Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
Ball Room of the Royal Palace of Caloris, Kuronami.
Gods, I felt free!
That had a simple reason: Earlier this June, I had done my graduation exams and I had not only received news, that I had passed with flying colours, but also had formally graduated from the Haram Girls' Academy on the 12th of June of this year with the full ceremony.
Grand Vizier Mahmut al-Zahir had held the commitment speech.
I had already packed up my dorm room, hugged the dear life out of my friends with the promise of meeting them again during the summer, before our respective Services started and had been whisked away by a limousine of the motor pool of the Palace of the Azure Hall - to Motya, aboard the Alshaahin, Dad's Motor Yacht, which we had taken to attend this diplomatic occasion, the Winter Ball in Caloris, hosted by Empress Ortfine Herself.
We had arrived, after a motor sprint across the oceans, earlier today and now, after being delivered to the Palace by limousine, I was entering the ball room.
Of course, I was not alone.
There was, of course, my father at my left, the mop of brown hair slicked back, the golden eyes sparkling with confidence, almost arrogance, not as if he owned the place, but like a man, who knew, that he had won - what he had won was clear, but we'll get to that in a moment. None of us wore Fistan Alshams, the Sun Dress and traditional clothes of the Sultanate, mostly due to it being winter in Kuronami. Dad looked simply awesome in suit and tie, full white tie, which looked as natural on him as it could be. Tailcoat, white shirt, white bow tie, standing collar and black pants, leather shoes in black completing it. He wore a wristwatch, a slender, silver device, which kept the time perfectly and was a present from Prince Alrich for his 35th birthday, and had a boutonnière on his lapel.
And he had not one woman on his arm, but two. Hence why he was the winner of the evening.
One of them was of course me, Princess Aurelia bint-Damir, his daughter. My long, blonde hair, which I had from my mother, went down well past my hips in long, flowing locks, kept in check by a few, slim silver hair clips, framing my face gently. My blue eyes shone, a contrast to the olive skin I had from my father. I wore, befitting the occasion, a ball gown, floor length, indigo and with side slits to make it easier to walk in, a square neckline enhancing my assets, embellished with sequins, straps holding it over my shoulders, an A-line dress with a slight train, nothing too long. I didn't wear heels either, just how I liked it.
To my father's other side was his fiancee, they would marry in a week and a half, Princess-Regent Yasmin bint-Atif. She was only seven years older then I was, but she had far less experience in the Diplomatic Circus as I had - this was her first 'serious' trip abroad. Dad and I would guide her through it. She had long, brown hair, though not as long as I had it, going a bit past her shoulders, held back by a few slim, silver hair clips. She, too, wore an evening gown, in her case a red, shoulderless dress with a slight train as well and with a black, silken band running around her waist, a bow knotted at the side. She wore gloves made from Selkie Sea Silk, too, and heels - and she moved in a way in them, which made me a bit jealous, as she moved in them as she had never walked in any other sort of footwear.
I could barely walk in heels.
Behind us was someone, who most certainly did not need heels.
Khana Amina bint-Karim, the Khana of Sheliak and a distant relative of mine (her Great-Grandfather was my Great-Great-Grandfather, with her Grandfather staying in Sheliak and inheriting it, while my Great-Grandmother fell in love with a Prince of Utica). She was well over two meters tall, 2.16 meters, if I remember correctly, her white-blonde hair short, her eyes sparkling like rubies. She smiled, wearing a black evening gown, which she had designed herself, going to the floor with a looooooooooong side slit, making it easy to spot one of her legs, which were as sculptured. A little necklace was the only jewelry she wore, an heirloom of her mother, the pendant sitting on her collarbone.
Behind her, the next pair of our delegation was, Vizier Azad Safir and his wife Tamina, two, who looked like chromatic opposites of one another. Azad was a man with short, white hair and golden eyes, dressed in a suit, which looked similar to Dad's with the exception, that he wore a blood-red shirt and no boutonnière. He was a Vizier and Kyrenaia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and considering, that there have been times, when his predecessor (the Grandvizier Hassan ben Sahid) had looked as if he had just escaped the set of a movie about Kyrenaian Pirates, Azad was dressed quite conservatively.
Tamina, on the other hand, was a pale woman by comparison, which was unsurprising, considering that she was a Jalidi. Her long, black hair was about as long as mine, her blood-red dress a shoulderless evening gown with a half-open back (the Gods alone knew, how it remained on her). She had pointy ears, a sign among the Jalidi of a person being a descendant of a well-respected person and she was one in her own right, too. A fur-scarf and blood red gloves completed the outfit, together with a necklace without a pendant.
And that was how we entered the Ball Room.
Ortfine was, together with her companion Izetta, greeting the guests currently someone I was tempted to put in the general direction of the Confederation of the New Visayan Islands, but I wasn't sure, especially when considering, that only had a short glimpse at her face.
I still smiled softly, though not at Sanchez (a name, which I would hopefully soon learn), but at Ortfine and Izetta.
I was bisexual, in a relationship with a woman, who I hoped would be here. In Kyrenaia, being in a same-gendered relationship was not illegal anymore, but a big taboo. Marrying was still impossible.
I was one of the representatives of a movement, which sought to change that.
Last year around this time, I had mourned the deaths of 13 schoolmates and innocent employees at the Al'Arz Diner in Utica, near the HGA, where I regularly ate for lunch - and which had been the target of a terrorist attack because of me, because of me working to change the Law of Marriage, to allow for homosexual marriage, so that I could marry Marcella, just like Dad would in but one and a half weeks marry Yasmin.
It did not deter me.
And, to be honest, I envied Ortfine a bit. For her, being here with her partner was no issue.
I... I had last seen Marcella, felt her in my arms, months ago... we kept in touch, calling, writing letters, for two and a half years now, only seeing each other at such diplomatic balls or when I sailed over to attend the Festival of Holy Light with her.
Gods, I really needed to find a way to spent more time with her.
Maybe now that I had graduated, a chance would open up?
We will see.
We waited in line, on the lookout for familiar face. Diplomatically, Azad carried a box with him, a little present of the Sultanate, both as a present for the host and as a sign of the thankfulness of the Sultanate and of the Sultana towards the Young Empress, who had stood with Kyrenaia in the aftermath of the Al'Arz Attack, even sending investigators, and who had proven on quite a few occasions to be a friend of the Sultanate.
'Young Empress', in this case, was an appellation of respect.
And I certainly not only envied Ortfine, I also respected her.

The lovely Princess Aurelia, really Marcella was a lucky woman to have such a catch. But not just her here, her dear father was here as well! Nice to have the family here, with much of her own family up in Landsbruck, sure only a short hop away by rail but still it could be lonely without everyone present. I guess that is why at the very least she had her two sisters with her this evening.

"Welcome, friends. I'm very pleased you could make it out here tonight. Milady Princess, you look ravishing as you always do." She held back an even more sly smile knowing it wasn't long before the bundles of pink hair would certainly catch Aurelia's eyes. Fine's eyes did scan about the room a moment to see if she could glance Marcella's location but it seemed she'd rather vanished into the crowd. Oh well she'd turn up sooner or later. "Am I to understand you just finished school? My many congratulations on that, you must be very excited now. Good sir" She acknowledge her father with her "A pleasure to see you as well. And your guests here as well, welcome. Milord Prince, a fine evening to you" She offered her hand should he want to give a cordial kiss to it. And Miladies, and you Minister, Welcome to Kuronami. The food is available over to the right there, feel free to help yourselves feel free to engage in a dance when you're in the mood. Oh and do become acquainted with my two sisters over there." She noted Carpathia and Magdalen who were standing together chatting. Of course Carpathia was pretty present on PiffleNet, with the less than subtle V.E. Initials but that was at security's insistence, frankly a public Princess it's hard to not recognize her wherever you go.

"I hope to see many of you this fine evening, as soon as I'm finished with the welcoming of all my guests I'll be making around the floor so I'll be saying hello plenty of times. "

Izetta curtsied "Thank you for coming to Milady's engagement, have an enjoyable time."

And again Bianca gestured the direction for them to walk away. She held off the next batch, just to allow Fine a moment to compose herself and have a little water for her parched throat.

Fine sighed a bit when they had moment "I really should have forgone this part of the party. Really I hate to rush people along. Especially for such important guests of a close ally"

"I understand Milady but like you said you'll be walking the floor plenty and have time to speak with everyone. Aurelia is beautiful isn't she? Well I mean all the ladies are and the men are certainly good looking too."

"Yes they are. Very lovely looking, once again Marcella is lucky. I hope things will change soon enough that they can go on without worry."

"Awful people had to attack because they don't like it."

"I agree. Let's hope we can help ensure that doesn't happen again." Up next

Caloris, Empire of Kuronami. June 20, 2020.
For the five Shikonjimanese Royals arriving today, the jump over the Equator had been an exciting one, even though it was not the first one for everyone around, and with a pilot as professional as Genki Furuyama was, no one had been fretting the flight on the RSAF Shouzo, Kyouko's almost personal airplane. However, there had been the moment when Kyouko had learned, that not every head of state was particularly fond of flying, Empress Ortfiné Fredericka von Eylstadt being a prominent example, and this had been the moment she had realized why the Empress of Kuronami was such a rare view in the region Shikonjima was located in.
Although going by yacht could be fun, too.
The Shikonjimanese Royals could quite relate to how complicated things were in a monarchy, even though some things were different back home. Kyouko came to Caloris, well aware, that the city might not be Kuronami's capital city anymore once Kyouko would be an old hag, as it switched depending on where the current Ruler resided, and the Empress wasn't exactly likely to produce an heir for a certain reason ... back in Shikonjima, Nashinya had been agreed on as a location for a planned capital city no matter where the Ruler was from in 1705, prior to which the ongoings with the Clan Wars and the complicated peace negotiations had hindered any progress in that question. Some Rulers of the Domains of Kuronami, who would be present in here, surely wouldn't have minded their own cities becoming the next capital. For a Shikonjimanese, the imagination of the Rulers of seven Duchies, eleven Counties, twenty Baronies, and six territories immediate to the Principality debating about where to locate the capital was quite amusing - and scary. At least nowadays.
No, Shikonjima had been in different trouble as of lately, beginning with the Reincorporation of the seven Duchies of the Ferinan-Archipelago, the endless debates and shitstorms on social media such as Piffle and Setz thereupon, the escalations during demonstrations, fleets of various nations coming for aid, and eventually terrorist attacks, which various foreign secret services, including MND, Mukhabarat, and RBI, had assisted the Oukeikyoku investigating in. Not to mention the confusion false information on the involvement of high-ranked military officers had caused. Or the fake bots spreading false information on social media. Or the poor group of Marine Biology Students whose drone had been shot down.
But now, four months later, all this almost felt ... unreal. While the Oukeikyoku remained at readiness, it almost seemed as if nothing had ever happened, almost awkwardly silent and peaceful. For now. But one never knew ...
For now, however, there were regular obligations to observe again - one of them being this occasion. A ball, hosted by nobody lesser than Empress Ortfiné of Kuronami herself.
As usual, Kyouko brought her younger sister Shiko along, who served as a Royal Advisor in numerous of these sessions taking place in a very certain location in the Royal Palace that was kept secret from the public. Along with the two, Prince Jirou of Shirayuki, notorious for his passion for videogames and being all but brutally honest when it came to expressing his opinion - even though he quite did know when to stay polite. People generally agreed, that living in Shirayuki, the fiefdom looking like a snail on the map due to its long panhandle, would be a fun place to live in, once he would become Count. He had already been around in Schloss Zyng, Teressien, last year.
Jitsuko Sageshima, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, came along as well. Even though this would be less of a political meeting and more of a high society event, making some ties surely couldn't harm. Moriyasu Gonda, a Prince from Fubuki and known as an author and actor, would definitely be more into the fun part of an occasion like this.
Among the guests, there was a woman who could easily pass as a Visayan or Sempornese; her Spanish last name would certainly soon reveal, that the former was the case. And then, there was another delegation, seemingly from Kyrenaia - at least, one of them, technically only half-Kyrenaian, was well-known to everyone. And while it seemed awkward to the Shikonjimanese, that Aurelia-Hime had to fight for the legalization of same-sex marriage, something which had been taken for granted in Shikonjima for millennia, she enjoyed a lot of respect for her efforts in that part of the world. It should go without mentioning, that Shikonjima had condemned the Al'Arz Attack with a surprisingly frank wording. Whoever might have been behind the attack, they had successfully managed to be called "a bunch of honorless, unworthy twats compensating their mental incapabilities with a shameless act of violence" officially. True, Shikonjimanese didn't like people committed to deliberately disturbing Harmony ...
The Empire of Kuronami, along with their RBI, had turned out to be a dependable partner during the investigations in both the Al'Arz Attack as well as the attacks in the Ferinan-Archipelago and Mainland Shikonjima. Kyouko had lost count on how many times she had thanked the Empire's leadership for this, also on behalf of Captain Airi Toyomura and other representatives of the Shikonjimanese authorities. Similarly, the Kyrenaians, the Sharulsi, and other friendly nations had received a thousand thanks as well.
The Shikonjimanese bowed their heads to the Empress; she received friendly greetings and, at least that was what they wished her to reveive, the blessings of the Four Souls.
There would surely be some occasion for some chatter soon - but for now, of course, there were further guests to welcome first.

Well sort of the cause of this year's early stress and anxiety but that didn't mean Fine wasn't thrilled to finally see the guests of this nation. Good time for that later for now it was the usual greetings. "Good evening."

"Good evening." Izetta greeted as well.

"Welcome to Kuronami. I'm very glad you could come out. Milady Princess...." Addressing Yamura no Kyouko. Fine tried her hand a some of the Japanese that her friend Princess Daidouji had slowly taught her over the years. Whether it came out clunky or broken she wasn't sure. Even then some of the customs were a bit different. Some nations with a Japanese base in language kept to a strict system of keigo ensuring proper address and cutesy. Kuronami was somewhere in the middle between holding that custom but being a bit more relaxed about it. Sometimes a simple title would be okay othertimes being very informal with a person was okay too. Fine could be casual and open with Princesses Himiko or Tomoyo but had to be more formal with Lady Amaterasu. I guess if you're named in honor of a Goddess as well as your home domain, it's only appropriate you be addressed in the same formality and reverence. "I hope my Japanese came out all right, I should practice it far more. I'm thrilled you could join us" She gave a polite bow for the Princess as did Izetta who bowed far lower given she was common status. Next she talked to Yamura no Shiko. "Milady Princess, or Hime-sama? Ah see I forget titles often so I'm begging your pardon. Milord Prince." Honestly at this point she'd forgotten most of anything she'd hope to say, "Thank you for coming so far to be with us tonight, I really am thrilled". Gonda no Moriyasu. "And you must be Mr. Gonda, am I correct?" Bianca gave a silent nod saying she had the name right but it was just as much her guess if she had any titles correct she only knew Kuronami customs. Gah where was Hanamura-san, at least she could be of help here. "Good to meet you and of you to come all this way as well."

She gave them another moment to speak with her and see how on or off the mark she was. Once formalities and thank yous were exchanged between all parties. Fine conclude again, "Please help yourselves if you are hungry or have a dance or mingle as you wish. All our High Lords and Ladies are here as well and my own two sisters. Say hello as you please. Thank you." And again Bianca gestured.

After the last three months with only the COVID19 outbreak on their mind, it was now time for the Empire of Astares Amauricanum to think again of any other things, among them International Politics.
And since one of the first events on the list was a ball where the Emperor and Empress were invited, this is why we find today the whole remaining Blachkor Dynasty members attending.

The frist to enter the Palace, and greeting the Butler, is Peter Blachkor, retired Emperor, and his wife Genievra. The old couple, well in their nineties, but still looking 20 to 30 years younger, is clad in the traditional outfit of the Empire, known as the Jarningur, or Fer-Jarningur for the formal type. For the male, it consists of a pair of knee high leather boots, pants, a long-sleeved shirt (red wine here), with a sleeveless vest worn over it, and finally, a cravat. For this event, Peter was also wearing a dark green cape over his shoulders.
For Genievra, her attire was more or less the same as her husband, but with a skirt instead of pants.

Behind the old couple, comes their remaining son, Prince Regis Blachkor, and his wife Shiho. Unlike his parents, the Prince is clad in a classic black white-tie suit, with a red bowtie and cummerbund, while his wife is clad in a black and golden Cheongsam dress, clinging to her body and highliting her features.

And finally, behind them, the current Emperor and Empress, Adrean Blachkor "The Third" and Anna Blachkor. Among the three couples, they are the only ones wearing uniforms, specifically Dress Uniforms of the Columbia District Metropolitan Fire Department, where the Emperor and Empress are respectively registered as doctor and nurse. The uniforms are black, without peaked caps, and badges on both shoulders representing the coat of arms of the Fire Department
One thing to note, is that unlike his grandfather and uncle, Adrean has a mask over his mouth and nose, just like his wife, as well as protective gloves over their hands.
A few weeks ago, due to a new spike of COVID cases in the capital, the Imperial Couple had chosen to go on the field and reinforce the medical staff at the Columbia Downtown Hospital, where unfortunately, they had both been contaminated.
Fortunately, thanks to a top notch immune system, they had recovered without a hitch,and although they were considered healed for about a week now, they still had doubts if they were contagious or not, so that's why they were wezring masks and gloves.

And so, like everyone else, the six Astarians stand in line, ready to present their respects to the Empress. In his hands, the Emperor carries a small parcel, with a gift for Ortfiné within.

Next up guests of another close friend of Kuronami and mutually to AHSCA as well, Astares Amauricanum. The retired Emperor and Empress as well as the Prince and Princess "Milord and Milady. Welcome to Kuronami and welcome to the party this evening. i'm thrilled you could be here. Milord Prince, welcome to you as well and you too, Milady Princess." Onto the currently sitting Emperor and Empress "Ah Milord and Milady how wonderful it is to have the sitting Monarchs with us as well." The surprises kept coming when they presented her with a gift. "Oh my really? That's too kind you really didn't have to." Ah that old cliched saying, well it was true they didn't have to but it was appreciated. "Thank you kindly." She gave a moment to let them exchange pleasantries and everything else. Once that'd be done she'd open the gift and give thanks for it before having them move along.

Bianca again gave a nod of approval it was clear security had cleared it already.

[The Gristolian Imperium]

The Empress-Queen, June 12th
Dunwall Tower, Dunwall, The Gristolian Imperium
Her Imperial Majesty's Private Study

---

"Now, I must insist, Your Imperial Majesty, that we make haste and be proactive against this foreign disease before it spreads across the Imperium," pleaded Robert Howell, one of the many general advisers to the Empress. For days, or perhaps weeks, government officials have been visiting the Tower to discuss the matter of the pandemic that has been sweeping the world. Close the borders. Open the borders. Declare this. Declare that. "Praise the Cosmos," Emily thought sarcastically, "that in times of prosperity and chaos the people shall never be devoid of advise. Praise be." Sitting in the chairs opposite of her, her adviser continued to ramble. Next to him, her faithful Royal Protector, Jessica Kaylock, was lying on a couch unmoved by Robert's ramblings. She too, like the Empress, was dismissive of the panic surrounding this pandemic.

As a cool breeze came in from the south, a maid was opening several more windows. Sitting within her private study, little had been changed during the previous monarch's reigns. Old paintings graced the walls, and even the wallpaper had only been changed once since in the last century. On the wall opposite the windows, the large 19th century painting of the Hound Pits Pub still dominated the wall. Though, in the corner of the room, laid a massive mahogany desk upon various states papers laid. State meeting minutes, memorandums, news articles, etc. One document, an invitation from the Empress of Kuronami, caught Emily's eye.

"Tell me," the Empress begun, interrupting her adviser, "have we gave any thought to attending the Winter Ball in Kuronami? I know several of our ministers in Foreign Affairs think highly of that nation."

"What? Oh, yes," Robert responded, clearly caught off guard by the sudden change in discussion. "While not quite imperialistic, their reputation as a stable and prosperous nation has put them on the radar within Foreign Affairs. But," Robert, leaning forward, continued, "I do not think attending a Ball during this time would be the wisest, Your Imperial Majesty."

"The wisest? With all do respect, I cannot simply stay within the confines of the Tower until this pandemic is over." Standing up and pacing the room, she continued, "And, I have heard of no cases within their nation. Surely, there would be no harm? Jessica, your thoughts?"

Adjusting herself on the couch, the Royal Protector glanced over at the adviser. "Her Imperial Majesty is correct. Based on other findings from my agents, Kuronami would pose no threat to the Empress. We can send a few protectors to oversee general security measures, but the Royal Palace in Caloris will be safe."

Before anything could be said, the Empress declared, "Good! Then it is decided. Robert contact my scheduling secretary, and make all preparations. I want this done by the end of the week."

---

June 20th
The Royal Palace, Caloris, The Empire of Kuronami
Grand Ballroom

Entering the Grand Ballroom of the Royal Palace, the Empress admitted that the country was a sight to see. Clearly all the important aristocrats of Kuronami, and several major foreign leaders, were present to socialize and introduce each other. While most days Emily did not enjoy these types of events, especially with those of the aristocracy back in Dunwall, visiting foreign courts abroad was far more interesting. Donning her naval uniform, it clearly reflected the Empress' rank as Admiral of the Fleet within the Imperium. Dark blue with gold trim, the clean, sleek uniform was complemented by a tricorn hat. While she had many dresses, Emily always thought a military uniform during these occasions gave a better impression for someone of her rank and youth. Too often, she reflected, did those of older age and lower rank snub her as foolish for ruling at such a young age. Her mentors taught her to dispute those claims in her works, but they still got to her.

Noticing the line of visitors moving forward, the Empress eventually reached front and saw several members of the Imperial family. Giving a slight bow, she immediately noticed the Empress of Kuronami, who also donned a military uniform. Immediately next to her was another lady in a beautiful dress, but who was she? A friend? Rising from her bow, Emily began her introduction:

"Greetings, Your Imperial Majesty. I am glad to have finally met your acquaintance. I must thank you for the invitation to your annual Winter Ball. I must say, your city is quite beautiful. I hope this will be the first of many meetings between our two nations."

[Kyrenaia]

[...]

The lovely Princess Aurelia, really Marcella was a lucky woman to have such a catch. But not just her here, her dear father was here as well! Nice to have the family here, with much of her own family up in Landsbruck, sure only a short hop away by rail but still it could be lonely without everyone present. I guess that is why at the very least she had her two sisters with her this evening.

"Welcome, friends. I'm very pleased you could make it out here tonight. Milady Princess, you look ravishing as you always do." She held back an even more sly smile knowing it wasn't long before the bundles of pink hair would certainly catch Aurelia's eyes. Fine's eyes did scan about the room a moment to see if she could glance Marcella's location but it seemed she'd rather vanished into the crowd. Oh well she'd turn up sooner or later. "Am I to understand you just finished school? My many congratulations on that, you must be very excited now. Good sir" She acknowledge her father with her "A pleasure to see you as well. And your guests here as well, welcome. Milord Prince, a fine evening to you" She offered her hand should he want to give a cordial kiss to it. And Miladies, and you Minister, Welcome to Kuronami. The food is available over to the right there, feel free to help yourselves feel free to engage in a dance when you're in the mood. Oh and do become acquainted with my two sisters over there." She noted Carpathia and Magdalen who were standing together chatting. Of course Carpathia was pretty present on PiffleNet, with the less than subtle V.E. Initials but that was at security's insistence, frankly a public Princess it's hard to not recognize her wherever you go.

"I hope to see many of you this fine evening, as soon as I'm finished with the welcoming of all my guests I'll be making around the floor so I'll be saying hello plenty of times. "

Izetta curtsied "Thank you for coming to Milady's engagement, have an enjoyable time."

And again Bianca gestured the direction for them to walk away. She held off the next batch, just to allow Fine a moment to compose herself and have a little water for her parched throat.

Fine sighed a bit when they had moment "I really should have forgone this part of the party. Really I hate to rush people along. Especially for such important guests of a close ally"

"I understand Milady but like you said you'll be walking the floor plenty and have time to speak with everyone. Aurelia is beautiful isn't she? Well I mean all the ladies are and the men are certainly good looking too."

"Yes they are. Very lovely looking, once again Marcella is lucky. I hope things will change soon enough that they can go on without worry."

"Awful people had to attack because they don't like it."

"I agree. Let's hope we can help ensure that doesn't happen again."

[...]

Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
Ball Room of the Royal Palace of Caloris, Kuronami.
Ortfine welcomed us together with Izetta, complimenting me, calling me ravishing - well, Marcella would soon enough find out, that I could not only look ravishing, but ravish her quite well, too...
"Thank you, I indeed just graduated. It's a new feeling.", I said and off it went with the greetings and acknowledgements.
Dad, ever the gentleman, took the offered hand and breathed a kiss on the back, bowing down.
"It is our pleasure to be here, Your Imperial Majesty.", he said and smiled charmingly.
Despite him getting married in less then two weeks, he would never stop charming the living daylights out of any woman he could. Both Yasmin and I knew that and so did Grandmother.
The others bowed their heads and spoke greetings themselves.
Then we were rushed along, which was understandable. After all, this was a ball and the host had to greet the guests - it was similar in Teressien, Alrich always handled that pretty well and although Ortfine was doing that pretty well, too, she seemed uncomfortable with it, too.
"I do hope, that we can talk more later. After all, we have a little gift, a token of Kyrenaia's friendship, for you.", Dad said and bowed his head, smiling, "Until then, we will leave you to it." He leaned over slightly, with a grin, as if to tell a secret. "Hang in there!"
I snorted in amusement and we went in.
Behind us, I spotted, from the corner of my eye, the next ones in line. I thought, that I recognized some of them, Prince Jirou of Shirayuki among them - and, of course, the Princess of Shikonjima, Kyouko herself. This promised to be a fun evening!
For now, however, we went along to the buffet, my eyes scanning the crowd for...
"You do realize, that we can not put up missing person posters, right?", Dad whispered to me and I snorted in bemusement. "Stay with us for a few minutes. Let's see, if we can't attract her when in a larger group!"
I nodded. "Sounds good. But if that fails, I will start with a search pattern!", I said and Dad nodded in agreement.
"For now...", Yasmin said as we arrived at the buffet, smiled as she took a nibble - she had developed a good appetite over the last few weeks, especially for 'weirder' foods. "...let's get something to eat and maybe get acquainted with a few people. The Empress' sisters, for example."
Dad nodded with a small smile and I said: "Good idea."
Yasmin bowed her head lightly. "I learned from the best."
"Meanwhile...", Amina began, smiling slightly and apologetically, "I'll try and get some investors... or at least people, who want to dance." We nodded and the very tall woman parted ways with us, the Vizier and his wife bowing their heads as she departed. Amina stopped again: "If I see Marcella-Khana, I'll send her your way."
"That'd be very nice, thank you.", I said and smiled, watching her depart.
"Damir, Aurelia, Princess Yasmin, if you'd excuse us? I'd like to give my wife a spin.", Azad said with a smile, his wife linking arms with him with a happy smile. Both were quite competitive dancers and to be quite honest, it was always a treat. "Besides, it would be rude to overwhelm the young ladies with too many people."
"Of course.", Damir said and nodded, while Azad handed the gift to him. "I do insist on having a dance with you later tonight, though, Tamina."
"I have a spot free on my dance card.", she said and off the two were.
Only us three left.
"Let's get going.", Dad said as he moved us towards where Carpathia and Magdalena were chatting.

[New Visayan Islands]

Allison Sanchez
Royal Palace

"You're welcome, Your Imperial Majesty," Allison replied. "True, I have recovered from the illness that sickened relatively few people and claimed even fewer, but measures that were taken to contain the spread of that coronavirus have worked quite effectively. That being said, on behalf of the Confederation I greatly appreciate your concern." She did not exaggerate; the quarantines that were in place in various parts of the Confederation had long since been lifted as the COVID-19 pandemic had burned out. Despite this, however, the Federal Council didn't take any chances; as the original request had been made at the height of quarantine measures, sending someone who survived the disease was deemed the smart option at the time.
As Allison made her graceful exit, she took stock of her surroundings. The ballroom was spacious and there were plenty of people in attendance; some of the foreign VIPs she recognized from PiffleNet, where she maintained a relatively low profile. Others she knew by name, having been briefed on them in the chartered flight that took her from the District of Humabon. Either way, she looked forward to the possibility of talks among senior government officials amid the ball; who in her place wouldn't?

[Astares Amauricanum]

Next up guests of another close friend of Kuronami and mutually to AHSCA as well, Astares Amauricanum. The retired Emperor and Empress as well as the Prince and Princess "Milord and Milady. Welcome to Kuronami and welcome to the party this evening. i'm thrilled you could be here. Milord Prince, welcome to you as well and you too, Milady Princess." Onto the currently sitting Emperor and Empress "Ah Milord and Milady how wonderful it is to have the sitting Monarchs with us as well." The surprises kept coming when they presented her with a gift. "Oh my really? That's too kind you really didn't have to." Ah that old cliched saying, well it was true they didn't have to but it was appreciated. "Thank you kindly." She gave a moment to let them exchange pleasantries and everything else. Once that'd be done she'd open the gift and give thanks for it before having them move along.

Bianca again gave a nod of approval it was clear security had cleared it already.

"Thank you for having us this evening Your Majesty, replies Peter on behalf of his family. We're happy to be here tonight, especially my grandson who just recovered. We hope you'll find the gift to your liking."
Opening the parcel would reveal a simple chain made of silver, with a locket representing the coat of arms of the Eylsdtat family.
"It was done around ten years ago, on orders from my father, explains Adrean behind his mask, at a time he was thinking about establishing relations with your nation."

And with that said, the six Astarians are whisked away, leaving the Empress to greet the other guests waiting behind them.
"So far so good, says Regis to the rest of the group. Man, I can't believe I missed this, he adds with a smirk.
-If you hadn't left like you did, replies his father, and hadn't caused such a stir, you wouldn't be feeling that.
-Oh come on Grandpa, don't be such a bummer! exclaims Adrean. What's in the past stays in the past, clear?
-Yes, Your Imperial Majesty, reply his grandfather and uncle as they both take a bow before him, although they rise back up with a small smirk, one reflected by both the Empress and Emperor under their masks.
-Good, says Anna. Now, I see the NVI Secretary of Finance over there, why don't you go see her with your husband Shiho? she asks the half-Japanese, half-Astarian women.
-Hai, Heika, replies Shiho with a bow, using the Japanese honorifics for a reigning monarch. Let's go Honey, she adds to her husband, as the two Astarians depart towards Allison.
-Good, says Adrean once they're gone. So, Grandpa,Granny, we'll leave you to take a spin. Meanwhile, Anna and I will try to find Duchess Villa.
-Try to do it before Aurelia takes her away, replies Genievra with a wink.
-We will, don't worry, replies Anna, as the Imperial Couple separates and strts looking around the room for Marcella, leaving the retired Emperor and Empress to themselves.
-My Darling, may I have this dance? asks Peter with a smile, as he takes his wife's han in his own.
-You may, my good Sir, replies Genievra with a smile, before the two go to the dancefloor.

After a few minutes, Regis and Shiho reach Allison Sanchez, the New Visayan Secretary of Finance.
"Good evening Madame, says the Prince with a small bow of the head, along with his wife. Prince Regis Blachkor, of the Empire of Astares Amauricanum, and my wife Shiho. We are glad to see you recovered well from the COVID virus, and we want to say we're sorry about the losses you suffered, he finishes with a sad smile.

After a few minutes of searching, Adrean and Anna finally spot the bundle of pink hair belonging to the UIS Duchess.
Like two missiles, the Emperor and Empress close the distance as fast as possible (but not too fast, they don't want to startle Marcella.)
"Pardon us if we're bothering you, but good evening, Duchess Marcella, says Adrean as he approaches cautiously, keeping a distance of one meter between him and the Duchess. Emperor Adrean Blachkor and Empress Anna Blachkor, of Astares Amauricanum, he continues as they take off their mask to reveal completely their faces. It's an honor to finally meet you, after all this time."

[Shikonjima]

Well sort of the cause of this year's early stress and anxiety but that didn't mean Fine wasn't thrilled to finally see the guests of this nation. Good time for that later for now it was the usual greetings. "Good evening."

"Good evening." Izetta greeted as well.

"Welcome to Kuronami. I'm very glad you could come out. Milady Princess...." Addressing Yamura no Kyouko. Fine tried her hand a some of the Japanese that her friend Princess Daidouji had slowly taught her over the years. Whether it came out clunky or broken she wasn't sure. Even then some of the customs were a bit different. Some nations with a Japanese base in language kept to a strict system of keigo ensuring proper address and cutesy. Kuronami was somewhere in the middle between holding that custom but being a bit more relaxed about it. Sometimes a simple title would be okay othertimes being very informal with a person was okay too. Fine could be casual and open with Princesses Himiko or Tomoyo but had to be more formal with Lady Amaterasu. I guess if you're named in honor of a Goddess as well as your home domain, it's only appropriate you be addressed in the same formality and reverence. "I hope my Japanese came out all right, I should practice it far more. I'm thrilled you could join us" She gave a polite bow for the Princess as did Izetta who bowed far lower given she was common status. Next she talked to Yamura no Shiko. "Milady Princess, or Hime-sama? Ah see I forget titles often so I'm begging your pardon. Milord Prince." Honestly at this point she'd forgotten most of anything she'd hope to say, "Thank you for coming so far to be with us tonight, I really am thrilled". Gonda no Moriyasu. "And you must be Mr. Gonda, am I correct?" Bianca gave a silent nod saying she had the name right but it was just as much her guess if she had any titles correct she only knew Kuronami customs. Gah where was Hanamura-san, at least she could be of help here. "Good to meet you and of you to come all this way as well."

She gave them another moment to speak with her and see how on or off the mark she was. Once formalities and thank yous were exchanged between all parties. Fine conclude again, "Please help yourselves if you are hungry or have a dance or mingle as you wish. All our High Lords and Ladies are here as well and my own two sisters. Say hello as you please. Thank you." And again Bianca gestured.

Finé and Izetta greeted and welcomed each Shikonjimanese, with the Empress using her bit of Japanese, and while it sounded distinctly different from what a Shikonjimanese would be accustomed to hearing and speaking, it was easy to understand for them. Pointing the audible differences in pronunciation, intonation, and, to a degree, vocabulary out, this was something they usually left to taxi drivers, though.
More than this, the customs varied a bit. In Kuronami, people generally were aware, that they, even when speaking of Amaterasu Domain only, weren't overly strict with addresses and courtesy, as the different cultures represented in the Empire influenced each other, kind of like the Shikonjimanese Community in Lillorainen, and that it could be different in other nations speaking a Japonic language, such as Shikonjima, Nifon, or Yamatai. On the other hand, Shikonjimanese weren't exactly unaware of how different they were from others in most regards, either - and truth be told, there were way worse things to accidentally mess up than titles or the correct angle of bowing.
Shiko had nodded after Finé's quick inquiry as to which address was correct, confirming, that Hime-sama was indeed the common address. She kept it with the English form to address when she got to Jirou, in whose case, Ouji-sama would have been the Shikonjimanese address, but of course, Jirou wouldn't make a fuss about that, either, and neither would Moriyasu. Both men had their own experiences abroad, talking to people of various ranks and from vastly different cultures. Especially Moriyasu's charming smile and nod should reassure her, that she wasn't too much off the mark.
Kyouko smiled. "Doumo arigatou! It's a pleasure for us all to be here, too!" - she said in the little break Finé had given to them. "You can be sure, Kougou-sama, that we are just as thrilled to have made the long way successfully as you appear to be."
With the note on food, drinks, the dancefloor, and other people to talk to, Finé's bodyguard gestured. In these parts, greeting and welcoming every guest first was just as customary as it was in Shikonjima or Teressien, so there was little to get used to right now.
With another light bowing, they moved on, indeed heading towards the buffet, which the Kyrenaians had left but a minute ago. The Shikonjimanese hadn't really had a lot of treats during the flight, save for sandwiches and tomato juice, so they would suit themselves with some nibbles before they would jump into chatting and dancing.

[Kyrenaia]

Finé and Izetta greeted and welcomed each Shikonjimanese, with the Empress using her bit of Japanese, and while it sounded distinctly different from what a Shikonjimanese would be accustomed to hearing and speaking, it was easy to understand for them. Pointing the audible differences in pronunciation, intonation, and, to a degree, vocabulary out, this was something they usually left to taxi drivers, though.
More than this, the customs varied a bit. In Kuronami, people generally were aware, that they, even when speaking of Amaterasu Domain only, weren't overly strict with addresses and courtesy, as the different cultures represented in the Empire influenced each other, kind of like the Shikonjimanese Community in Lillorainen, and that it could be different in other nations speaking a Japonic language, such as Shikonjima, Nifon, or Yamatai. On the other hand, Shikonjimanese weren't exactly unaware of how different they were from others in most regards, either - and truth be told, there were way worse things to accidentally mess up than titles or the correct angle of bowing.
Shiko had nodded after Finé's quick inquiry as to which address was correct, confirming, that Hime-sama was indeed the common address. She kept it with the English form to address when she got to Jirou, in whose case, Ouji-sama would have been the Shikonjimanese address, but of course, Jirou wouldn't make a fuss about that, either, and neither would Moriyasu. Both men had their own experiences abroad, talking to people of various ranks and from vastly different cultures. Especially Moriyasu's charming smile and nod should reassure her, that she wasn't too much off the mark.
Kyouko smiled. "Doumo arigatou! It's a pleasure for us all to be here, too!" - she said in the little break Finé had given to them. "You can be sure, Kougou-sama, that we are just as thrilled to have made the long way successfully as you appear to be."
With the note on food, drinks, the dancefloor, and other people to talk to, Finé's bodyguard gestured. In these parts, greeting and welcoming every guest first was just as customary as it was in Shikonjima or Teressien, so there was little to get used to right now.
With another light bowing, they moved on, indeed heading towards the buffet, which the Kyrenaians had left but a minute ago. The Shikonjimanese hadn't really had a lot of treats during the flight, save for sandwiches and tomato juice, so they would suit themselves with some nibbles before they would jump into chatting and dancing.

Khana Amina bint-Karim.
As I went away from the rest of the group, my first opportunity presented itself within the next minute: The Shikonmanjese moved to the buffet table.
Instead of pivoting on the heels and interrupting them with their snack, I made a bit of a curve 'around the block', so to speak, coming up in their field of view as they were happily munching away.
I grabbed a nibble myself, not out of hunger, but to have a bit of an excuse. I knew, that I could be rather intimidating or hard to approach due to my size (I really hoped, that Marla would not become as tall as I was), but such things as a nibble often gave a good excuse and made one more approachable.
Plus, being visible and not simply appearing out of thin air as a two meter giant of ruby red eyes and tits, looking down upon regular-sized people was always a good idea.
I smiled.
"Good evening.", I greeted the group politely, bowed to Kyouko. "Your Majesty, it is an honour to meet you, I heard a lot of positive things about you - granted, I am afraid, that I heard more of you then you have of me, but there are more important things in life then being famous." I let a beat pass. "I am Amina bint-Karim, the Khana of the Kyrenaian Khanate of Sheliak."

[Shikonjima]

Khana Amina bint-Karim.
As I went away from the rest of the group, my first opportunity presented itself within the next minute: The Shikonmanjese moved to the buffet table.
Instead of pivoting on the heels and interrupting them with their snack, I made a bit of a curve 'around the block', so to speak, coming up in their field of view as they were happily munching away.
I grabbed a nibble myself, not out of hunger, but to have a bit of an excuse. I knew, that I could be rather intimidating or hard to approach due to my size (I really hoped, that Marla would not become as tall as I was), but such things as a nibble often gave a good excuse and made one more approachable.
Plus, being visible and not simply appearing out of thin air as a two meter giant of ruby red eyes and tits, looking down upon regular-sized people was always a good idea.
I smiled.
"Good evening.", I greeted the group politely, bowed to Kyouko. "Your Majesty, it is an honour to meet you, I heard a lot of positive things about you - granted, I am afraid, that I heard more of you then you have of me, but there are more important things in life then being famous." I let a beat pass. "I am Amina bint-Karim, the Khana of the Kyrenaian Khanate of Sheliak."

At the buffet, the Shikonjimanese noticed one of the Kyrenaians approaching at once - who, given her height of well above two meters, was arguably not very easy to overlook. She took a nibble - whether she was genuinely hungry, or simply sought an excuse to approach other people, this was something one would have to ask the Four Souls and the Ryoukami.
In any case, she greeted them and bowed her head to Kyouko, introducing herself as Amina bint-Karim, Khana of Sheliak. Now, one could argue, that a Khanate in Kyrenaia was, at average, considerably smaller than a Khanate in East Janilaima in terms of area size (take the Yue Khanate, or the Sharulsi Khanate, for instance), but this didn't mean, that some of them and their Rulers remained entirely unheard of.
Kyouko bowed her head towards her, for a moment, then looked up to the tall woman, smiled, and said, "It's an honor to meet you as well, Amina-Koushaku! Indeed, there is a myriad of important businesses when in the position of having to keep a territory running, yet being famous is not necessarily one of them."
"Even if it sometimes cannot be avoided ..." - Jirou, the quite not exactly unknown videogame enthusiast, added, grinning and shrugging.
Kyouko nodded. "In many cases, it can't" - she agreed. "Though, Sheliak, you say? Isn't this the Khanate which Oea is the capital of? I'm pretty certain to have heard, that it quite has a bit of a renown as a vacation destination within and outside the Sultanate."

[Kyrenaia]

At the buffet, the Shikonjimanese noticed one of the Kyrenaians approaching at once - who, given her height of well above two meters, was arguably not very easy to overlook. She took a nibble - whether she was genuinely hungry, or simply sought an excuse to approach other people, this was something one would have to ask the Four Souls and the Ryoukami.
In any case, she greeted them and bowed her head to Kyouko, introducing herself as Amina bint-Karim, Khana of Sheliak. Now, one could argue, that a Khanate in Kyrenaia was, at average, considerably smaller than a Khanate in East Janilaima in terms of area size (take the Yue Khanate, or the Sharulsi Khanate, for instance), but this didn't mean, that some of them and their Rulers remained entirely unheard of.
Kyouko bowed her head towards her, for a moment, then looked up to the tall woman, smiled, and said, "It's an honor to meet you as well, Amina-Koushaku! Indeed, there is a myriad of important businesses when in the position of having to keep a territory running, yet being famous is not necessarily one of them."
"Even if it sometimes cannot be avoided ..." - Jirou, the quite not exactly unknown videogame enthusiast, added, grinning and shrugging.
Kyouko nodded. "In many cases, it can't" - she agreed. "Though, Sheliak, you say? Isn't this the Khanate which Oea is the capital of? I'm pretty certain to have heard, that it quite has a bit of a renown as a vacation destination within and outside the Sultanate."

Khana Amina bint-Karim.
I smiled.
"Indeed, that Sheliak.", I said and nodded, "Oea is the sparkling jewel along its coasts, even if it is quite hot there around this time of the year. The forecast for today spoke of pretty toasty 32 to 36 degrees Celsius... luckily, we currently have winter here."
I let a beat pass, turning to Jirou.
"Though you, Young Prince, aren't entirely unknown in Sheliak either.", I said and smiled slightly, "I have the pleasure to hosting my Great-Aunt, Tariqa bint-Ilia, frequently and, as you may know, she is a surprisingly avid video game player herself. For a woman, that'll turn a century in a few months, that is a bit of an achievement!"

[Shikonjima]

Khana Amina bint-Karim.
I smiled.
"Indeed, that Sheliak.", I said and nodded, "Oea is the sparkling jewel along its coasts, even if it is quite hot there around this time of the year. The forecast for today spoke of pretty toasty 32 to 36 degrees Celsius... luckily, we currently have winter here."
I let a beat pass, turning to Jirou.
"Though you, Young Prince, aren't entirely unknown in Sheliak either.", I said and smiled slightly, "I have the pleasure to hosting my Great-Aunt, Tariqa bint-Ilia, frequently and, as you may know, she is a surprisingly avid video game player herself. For a woman, that'll turn a century in a few months, that is a bit of an achievement!"

Kyouko had nodded again - 32 to 36 degrees celsius was a pretty toasty temperature, at least for a Mainland Shikonjimanese. In the Ferinan-Archipelago, as well as in the southernmost parts of the Mainland, like Yasushima, Shiratsuyu, and Oite, these temperatures and higher were notably less unusual in mid to late June, but even though the North still passed as subtropical, the northern winds usually brought more refreshing temperatures around. In Ayanami and Akebono, the temperatures rarely climbed above 26 to 29 degrees Celsius at midsummer.
For someone not wishing to deal with such temperatures, the Southern Hemisphere could quite be an advantage as of now. It was quite a bit cold here in Kuronami, and still warm, but a bit more chilly up in Mombenga.
Amina-Khana talked to Jirou, who was well aware of Tariqa bint-Ilia being as much of a gaming enthusiasts as he was - even with an age gap of almost seven decades between them.
He nodded.
"Indeed, that's quite not only a bit of an achievement!" - he said. "But it does show, that age is, if anything, rather a minor factor playing into it, when it comes to developing a passion - and neither is fame. I do what I've been used to since my childhood, and it's a nice pastime after all the programming, and, of course, the usual duties to observe as a throne heir of a fiefdom." He shrugged. "Some people might be a tad-bit bemused about it, but to be frank, this is nothing I bother myself with a lot."
Moriyasu nodded. As an author who had contributed to dime novel series with shallow content and an actor starring in some crime and spy movies of varying quality, he could relate to that. It hadn't kept Kyouko from appointing him as a Regent of the Territory of Samidare, which only showed, that Kyouko had a rather relaxed and open attitude towards what Rulers of Shikonjimanese fiefdoms did in their spare time. There were even rumors of her assisting Jirou in his digital adventures herself, but this wasn't confirmed officially.
Only few people knew the truth, one of them even being a Princess from Teressien.

[Kyrenaia]

Kyouko had nodded again - 32 to 36 degrees celsius was a pretty toasty temperature, at least for a Mainland Shikonjimanese. In the Ferinan-Archipelago, as well as in the southernmost parts of the Mainland, like Yasushima, Shiratsuyu, and Oite, these temperatures and higher were notably less unusual in mid to late June, but even though the North still passed as subtropical, the northern winds usually brought more refreshing temperatures around. In Ayanami and Akebono, the temperatures rarely climbed above 26 to 29 degrees Celsius at midsummer.
For someone not wishing to deal with such temperatures, the Southern Hemisphere could quite be an advantage as of now. It was quite a bit cold here in Kuronami, and still warm, but a bit more chilly up in Mombenga.
Amina-Khana talked to Jirou, who was well aware of Tariqa bint-Ilia being as much of a gaming enthusiasts as he was - even with an age gap of almost seven decades between them.
He nodded.
"Indeed, that's quite not only a bit of an achievement!" - he said. "But it does show, that age is, if anything, rather a minor factor playing into it, when it comes to developing a passion - and neither is fame. I do what I've been used to since my childhood, and it's a nice pastime after all the programming, and, of course, the usual duties to observe as a throne heir of a fiefdom." He shrugged. "Some people might be a tad-bit bemused about it, but to be frank, this is nothing I bother myself with a lot."
Moriyasu nodded. As an author who had contributed to dime novel series with shallow content and an actor starring in some crime and spy movies of varying quality, he could relate to that. It hadn't kept Kyouko from appointing him as a Regent of the Territory of Samidare, which only showed, that Kyouko had a rather relaxed and open attitude towards what Rulers of Shikonjimanese fiefdoms did in their spare time. There were even rumors of her assisting Jirou in his digital adventures herself, but this wasn't confirmed officially.
Only few people knew the truth, one of them even being a Princess from Teressien.

Khana Amina bint-Karim.
Maybe I should have added, that we had absolutely no rain for the next three months on average? Well, nothing one could not imagine. Besides, we had enough humidity and water from the sea, even for drinking - huge desalination plants used the power of the sun to produce fresh and good and mostly clean drinking water.
All things I could tell of in the course of the conversation.
"Indeed.", I said, "I am well-acquainted with that issue myself, thanks to designing clothes in my spare time. For example, this dress is one of mine." I made a small twirl on the spot, a bit playful, to be honest, but one needed to be at times and I felt a bit easy in their company. "And I sometimes model them and others' creations as well for charity. Not all are on board with that arrangement, but that is, to be honest, not my issue." I shrugged. "In the meantime, there's a new children's ward under construction in Minalnakhil, financed by proceeds from modeling, clothes designing, three swimsuit calendars and three charity gaming streams I appeared in with Aunt Tariqa." I let a beat pass. "It evens out, I guess."

[New Visayan Islands]

Allison Sanchez
Royal Palace

"A good evening to you too, Your Imperial Highness," Allison replied, returning the bow that had become her usual method of greeting during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to Prince Regis and his wife. "I wish to convey the same condolences to your nation; from what I understand the virus has touched your country as well," she added.
"On a more uplifting note, we've had success with the use of convalescent serum to aid in fighting the disease; ever since the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center requested that people who have recovered from the disease get their blood plasma tested before they can donate, I got tested." A beat passed before Allison continued: "I could, and I did, donate plasma to help in securing COVID convalescent serum. Which is just as well, some vaccine candidates are still undergoing trials."

[Shikonjima]

Khana Amina bint-Karim.
Maybe I should have added, that we had absolutely no rain for the next three months on average? Well, nothing one could not imagine. Besides, we had enough humidity and water from the sea, even for drinking - huge desalination plants used the power of the sun to produce fresh and good and mostly clean drinking water.
All things I could tell of in the course of the conversation.
"Indeed.", I said, "I am well-acquainted with that issue myself, thanks to designing clothes in my spare time. For example, this dress is one of mine." I made a small twirl on the spot, a bit playful, to be honest, but one needed to be at times and I felt a bit easy in their company. "And I sometimes model them and others' creations as well for charity. Not all are on board with that arrangement, but that is, to be honest, not my issue." I shrugged. "In the meantime, there's a new children's ward under construction in Minalnakhil, financed by proceeds from modeling, clothes designing, three swimsuit calendars and three charity gaming streams I appeared in with Aunt Tariqa." I let a beat pass. "It evens out, I guess."

That there was absolutely no rain to expect within three months ahead, this was a detail which could have been added, but could just as easily go without further mentioning, considering this is still Kyrenaia we're talking about. And while the means of water supply were known of outside the Sultanate, too, it quite didn't cease to amaze many foreigners, people and rulers alike.
Still, this was always good to know.
What also could have been mentioned from Jirou's end, this was that he didn't really bothered himself with his fame, even though he had already worked at it quite actively, namely, by occasionally being heard on WhoTube. With his advantage of being fluent at English (thanks to school education), German (thanks to both school education and an exchange year in Lillorainen), Shikonjimanese (self-explanatory), and conversational at Shamsiyyan (thanks to having two Grandmothers hailing from what was now the Federal Republic), there weren't exactly few places famous WhoTubers he was acquainted with could possibly hail from.
One of them being Iderbayar Oronar, known under several nicknames, IdreeKhanHD being one of them. Idree was a Sharulsi born and raised in Trinesholm in Rigesöer, Lillorainen, with his parents having left their home country, the Free Republic of Fenchuikuo (Sharulsi preferred Fengchuyuls), after its independence in 1988 and the ethnic tensions thereupon.
Two months ago, a real-time strategy game from Shikonjima, Fushigi no Jidai, 'Age of Wonders', had been released, and Idree hadn't left out the occasion to make a video on it. He had a guest in that video - nobody lesser than Jirou himself. And the video had become quite famous, at least in the German-speaking parts of the world ...

Some villagers kept roaming around, collecting resources - but there was also a hectical construction lot. With a little villager army of no fewer than sixty workers, the third Wonder got constructed in the base Idree and Jirou shared. Jirou, playing as Shikonjimanese, focussed on his swordfighter army, whereas Idree, playing as Sharulsi, kept spamming Mangudai.
There was little to worry about in this pretty early stage of the game, but planning and preparation was the be-all and end-all of this game.
And building Wonders, of course - each Wonder constructed produced small amounts of resources and allowed the creation of new types of units and researching new technologies, which was an advantage. A disadvantage was, that each new Wonder became more and more expensive, but of course, this was a measure implemented for the sake of balancing and requiring players to actually have an economic strategy as well. Accumulating enormous stockpiles and spamming cheap infantry ... c'mon, that's for noobs.
Idree and Jirou spoke German; Jirou with a distinct Rhenish accent, a result of his exchange year in Nienhagen years ago, Idree in Missingsch, a mix of Standard German and Holsteinisch Platt, a result of him having grown up in Southern Rigesöer.
"As we can see" - Idree spoke up, "the developers have put a lot of effort into keeping the historical accuracy up while still demanding some planning of purely in-game strategies, at least when it comes to one's economy. It's quite challenging, but it's also fun - especially with the all but unique feature of having two currencies of precious metals around, the exchange of which being based on the availability of either gold or silver in the respective nation one plays in real-life during that time. As technologies and special units tend to require both, one has to balance one's stockpile with help of the market every now and then."
"Mhm" - Jirou hummed in agreement. "It is a feature only few RTS games actually have. One may not underestimate the challenging aspects of other RTS such as Rúid!, where even players who think, that you can have a easy march-through, if you just play as Zaijia, massively spam cheap infantry units and call it a day, will get to their limits quite soon, as unexperienced players tend to forget about the supply chain issue."
"Speaking of challenges, Jirou" - Idree began, "it occurs to me, that new RTS are mostly produced by smaller companies, oftentimes only just a few people who more or less just develop these as a hobby. If you consider the overwhelming success of games such as Age of Empires or Hearts of Iron , this is quite surprising - albeit in these particular instances, newer parts are sequels of previously successful games rather than newly developed RTS made from scratch. I tend to think, this is because videogames are not exactly a niche product anymore, at least nowhere close to the extent they were in the nineties, thus - and I mean this in the most positive sense possible - playerbases have skyrocketed in terms of size. Do you personally think, that RTS are too much of a commercial risk for the big studios in an era where a broad audience needs to be served?"
"The theory does have merit" - Jirou said, "although I wouldn't say, that the standards have generally declined. All types of games can be somewhat challenging, after all. The difference I rather see is that RTS of this sort have a different way of being challenging, because of the various aspects these games have, like building up an economy, keeping it alive and working, thinking of military strategy, of tactics, of supplies, of types of units and national particularities, all that stuff. There are so many things to consider, thus they make this type of games an extraordinary challenge." He let a beat pass. "You see, a good egoshooter can be demanding, too, but if you get shot down in it, you usually don't need to search for the source of your flaws for too long - maybe you haven't aimed well, maybe you were too slow, maybe you just messed with the wrong guy, or maybe you just had lags or framerate drops. One of these will pretty much always be the case. In RTS like this one, it's considerably harder, because if you lose, your mistake can be pretty much anywhere. You think, you do everything right, put your base up, train your units, keep your economy running well - and suddenly, the opponents shows up in front of your gates with a troop strength ten times the size of yours and will overrun you in a few. For a newer player, this is extremely frustrating, because one loses and has no bloody idea as to why, as it can be only a tiny detail one has done wrong. Uh, you haven't spotted some iron mine by any chance, no?"
"I'm looking myself - this map is ... pretty awkward" - Idree said. "As for your conclusion, yes, there is something about it, even though many RTS, such as this one, keep being popular on the market. Fushigi no Jidai is about to become the best-selling newcomer in Lillorainen for April 2020, and when Rúid! came out three years ago, it was sold one and a half million times in Lillorainen in that particular month alone, and it reached similar numbers again with the latest add-on being released. Do the big studies underestimate the playerbase?"
"Not necessarily, at least not more than the smaller studios" - Jirou replied, "but I do think, that we live in an era where the developers need to reevaluate their strategies a tiny bit, and everything will now depend on two games in particular. For the big studios, it might be Age of Empires IV, which might be released at the end of this year or in early 2021, that remains to be seen. Should it succeed, I see a potential for new RTS from the big studios to be made - but should it fail, they might rather refrain to trying that ever again in the foreseeable future. And the smaller studios might keep track on how well Fushigi no Jidai might be running. Especially Shikonjimanese developers will have to reconsider their tactics of only making a few little announcements and showing a few previews in the future."
"Mhm, sounds about right. As you certainly have some profound knowledge on the market situation in Shikonjima for obvious reasons - why do you think is it, that especially Shikonjimanese studios don't make pre-release advertisements as aggressively as international ones?"
"Hm ..." - Jirou kept thinking for a moment while selecting a few techs to research and units to train. "Now, one could argue, that it's more of a Shikonjimanese cultural custom, which might also explain why Fushigi no Jidai is available in various languages, almost as if an international success was already expected. But then again, Shikonjima is not exactly a small market, and neither would Lillorainen be. I think, it's some general move of prudence - Shikonjimanese developers simply don't wish to make huge announcements on games which are still in the process of development, as these would raise certain expectations among the playerbase one is too afraid of not being able to meet. We've all seen the disappointments after a release of a certain international studio whose name refers to a type of snowstorm found in North America ..." - he let a beat pass, to make sure, that Idree would understand the little innuendo, "... and studios in Shikonjima simply don't wish to end up losing their reputation due to incidents of this sort. It's kind of a matter of honor. Yet, I do think, that they do need to show a bit more of audacity and courage, if they wish to enter international markets with the same success as Fushigi no Jidai does."
"Mhm, mhm ... yeah, I think, I'm with you on that one" - Idree said. "It's up to see, whether ..." What was up to see, this was something the viewers would learn a few moments later. For now, there was a more pressing issue.
"... whether that Moana Nui Islander guy stops attacking your dock with his damn exploration ships?"
"Exactly."
"Gonna care for him."

... and this was how it had gone on - with a lot of action involved as well, naturally.
But this wasn't the topic for now. Amina went over to her own pastimes, along with her charity work and how she financed it.
"It's a pity, that Shiruko can't be here today, then" - Jirou said, "for you'd certainly have something to talk about with her. You might know her, Tamori no Shiruko, Princess of Akebono, known as an actress and model, at least where we're from, but even more so as a car and motorcycle race driver - in fact, one of the best Shikonjima has to offer as of currently. She does quite make a good Ryou of all this, but she doesn't keep it all on her own - a lot of the revenues go into charity work as well, namely, a therapy center, mostly for traumatized children and young adults. As of currently, many of the people using this offer - for free, by the way - are relatives of the victims, or survivors, of the terrorist attacks in the Ferinan-Archipelago and in the Mainland after the Reincorporation. She had all this built up on the piece of land she inherited, in the countrysides of Jounohara, in the northwest of Akebono."
In Shikonjima, Princes and Princesses who were not designated as heirs or heiresses of their fiefdom's throne were always given a piece of land as a compensation by tradition and law. Some directly sold them out again, some also used them for various purposes - this could vary a lot. But Amina-Khana would be reasonably certain to be aware of this particularity of the otherwise complicated system that was Shikonjimanese feudalism.
"So I somewhat fail to see why anyone would oppose this" - he said.

[Kuronami]

June 20th
The Royal Palace, Caloris, The Empire of Kuronami
Grand Ballroom

Entering the Grand Ballroom of the Royal Palace, the Empress admitted that the country was a sight to see. Clearly all the important aristocrats of Kuronami, and several major foreign leaders, were present to socialize and introduce each other. While most days Emily did not enjoy these types of events, especially with those of the aristocracy back in Dunwall, visiting foreign courts abroad was far more interesting. Donning her naval uniform, it clearly reflected the Empress' rank as Admiral of the Fleet within the Imperium. Dark blue with gold trim, the clean, sleek uniform was complemented by a tricorn hat. While she had many dresses, Emily always thought a military uniform during these occasions gave a better impression for someone of her rank and youth. Too often, she reflected, did those of older age and lower rank snub her as foolish for ruling at such a young age. Her mentors taught her to dispute those claims in her works, but they still got to her.

Noticing the line of visitors moving forward, the Empress eventually reached front and saw several members of the Imperial family. Giving a slight bow, she immediately noticed the Empress of Kuronami, who also donned a military uniform. Immediately next to her was another lady in a beautiful dress, but who was she? A friend? Rising from her bow, Emily began her introduction:

"Greetings, Your Imperial Majesty. I am glad to have finally met your acquaintance. I must thank you for the invitation to your annual Winter Ball. I must say, your city is quite beautiful. I hope this will be the first of many meetings between our two nations."

A small lull in the crowd again managed to let the two women at center stage take a moment to drink a little water and collect themselves. "So many people, Milady. You really do know how to throw a party don't you?"

"I do try." The next guest arrived. Bianca whispered into her ear again of whom she was addressing "Your Majesty, welcome." Fine greeted The Empress Queen. "I'm glad you're finding the city lovely. I also can agree that I wish to have many more meetings between us. I'm sure we'll encounter each other quite a bit this evening as soon as I'm finished welcoming the arrivals. So please help yourself to any food if you wish, mingle with anyone you wish. Remember that our staff is on hand if you need anything."

Bianca gestured for the good lady to make her exit to the right which like anyone else would lead her quickly in the vacinity of the buffet table. Maids were laying out fresh trays of new food from the kitchen and pouring drinks of water, alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages for anyone's taste and desires.

Bianca heard in her ear peace "Take another moment, Milady. You have another 5-10."

"Thank you, Bianca."

"I have a spot free on my dance card.", she said and off the two were.
Only us three left.
"Let's get going.", Dad said as he moved us towards where Carpathia and Magdalena were chatting.

The two sisters were enjoying each other's company and chatting. Magdalene asking Carpathia about how school was going and the general kind of stuff. A few guests approached them "Oh good evening!" Carpathia bid them

Magdalene also bid "A good evening to you. Let's see..." She scrutinized them carefully to get a sense of where they were likely from. "I'm gonna guess you are....Kyrenaian!"

"You're welcome, Your Imperial Majesty," Allison replied. "True, I have recovered from the illness that sickened relatively few people and claimed even fewer, but measures that were taken to contain the spread of that coronavirus have worked quite effectively. That being said, on behalf of the Confederation I greatly appreciate your concern." She did not exaggerate; the quarantines that were in place in various parts of the Confederation had long since been lifted as the COVID-19 pandemic had burned out. Despite this, however, the Federal Council didn't take any chances; as the original request had been made at the height of quarantine measures, sending someone who survived the disease was deemed the smart option at the time.
As Allison made her graceful exit, she took stock of her surroundings. The ballroom was spacious and there were plenty of people in attendance; some of the foreign VIPs she recognized from PiffleNet, where she maintained a relatively low profile. Others she knew by name, having been briefed on them in the chartered flight that took her from the District of Humabon. Either way, she looked forward to the possibility of talks among senior government officials amid the ball; who in her place wouldn't?

Esperanta soon found herself wandering the floor a bit and came across Miss Sanchez "Oooh good evening, ma'am." She wished "Oh I'm Esperanta Putino. I'm the G.G. of Kuronami's Mazomba Islands." She would shake hands but given the country she was from was just getting over COVID outbreaks she played it safe and kept it to a nod of hello and agreement.

"Thank you for having us this evening Your Majesty, replies Peter on behalf of his family. We're happy to be here tonight, especially my grandson who just recovered. We hope you'll find the gift to your liking."
Opening the parcel would reveal a simple chain made of silver, with a locket representing the coat of arms of the Eylsdtat family.
"It was done around ten years ago, on orders from my father, explains Adrean behind his mask, at a time he was thinking about establishing relations with your nation."

And with that said, the six Astarians are whisked away, leaving the Empress to greet the other guests waiting behind them.
"So far so good, says Regis to the rest of the group. Man, I can't believe I missed this, he adds with a smirk.
-If you hadn't left like you did, replies his father, and hadn't caused such a stir, you wouldn't be feeling that.
-Oh come on Grandpa, don't be such a bummer! exclaims Adrean. What's in the past stays in the past, clear?
-Yes, Your Imperial Majesty, reply his grandfather and uncle as they both take a bow before him, although they rise back up with a small smirk, one reflected by both the Empress and Emperor under their masks.
-Good, says Anna. Now, I see the NVI Secretary of Finance over there, why don't you go see her with your husband Shiho? she asks the half-Japanese, half-Astarian women.
-Hai, Heika, replies Shiho with a bow, using the Japanese honorifics for a reigning monarch. Let's go Honey, she adds to her husband, as the two Astarians depart towards Allison.
-Good, says Adrean once they're gone. So, Grandpa,Granny, we'll leave you to take a spin. Meanwhile, Anna and I will try to find Duchess Villa.
-Try to do it before Aurelia takes her away, replies Genievra with a wink.
-We will, don't worry, replies Anna, as the Imperial Couple separates and strts looking around the room for Marcella, leaving the retired Emperor and Empress to themselves.
-My Darling, may I have this dance? asks Peter with a smile, as he takes his wife's han in his own.
-You may, my good Sir, replies Genievra with a smile, before the two go to the dancefloor.

After a few minutes, Regis and Shiho reach Allison Sanchez, the New Visayan Secretary of Finance.
"Good evening Madame, says the Prince with a small bow of the head, along with his wife. Prince Regis Blachkor, of the Empire of Astares Amauricanum, and my wife Shiho. We are glad to see you recovered well from the COVID virus, and we want to say we're sorry about the losses you suffered, he finishes with a sad smile.

After a few minutes of searching, Adrean and Anna finally spot the bundle of pink hair belonging to the UIS Duchess.
Like two missiles, the Emperor and Empress close the distance as fast as possible (but not too fast, they don't want to startle Marcella.)
"Pardon us if we're bothering you, but good evening, Duchess Marcella, says Adrean as he approaches cautiously, keeping a distance of one meter between him and the Duchess. Emperor Adrean Blachkor and Empress Anna Blachkor, of Astares Amauricanum, he continues as they take off their mask to reveal completely their faces. It's an honor to finally meet you, after all this time."

Fine was all adorned by the lovely locket which had the most beautiful engraving of her her family's crest. "It's truly beautiful and I'll treasure it for certain. Izetta would you do me the pleasure?" She handed over the locket to Izetta so that she might attach it to Fine. "It'd be my pleasure, Milady." With that, it was said and done it gracefully hung from her neck. "Thank you again." And with that they were gestured along to move.

Marcella had gotten a bit lost after needing a small restroom break thankfully a kindly maid escorted her back to the main floor. "Thank you, I'm truly sorry."

"No trouble at all, Milady, it happens all the time. enjoy the party and let us know if you need anything."

"Thank you." Gisella put a glass of water down "There you are, what happened?"

"I got a little lost. I thought I knew this place better."

"You know the seas better than you know yourself or any place you've only been once."

The sisterly conversation was cut short when they were approached by a group of other guests who introduced themselves as the Emperor and Empress of Astares Amauricanum. Oh of course! A good friend for the UIS and Kuronami Empire only natural they'd be here. "oh yes! Good evening Milord and Lady." Marcella bowed slightly in a greeting. "And it's a true honor to meet you. Oh, my younger sister Gisella." She introduced Gisella.

"Good evening."

With the note on food, drinks, the dancefloor, and other people to talk to, Finé's bodyguard gestured. In these parts, greeting and welcoming every guest first was just as customary as it was in Shikonjima or Teressien, so there was little to get used to right now.
With another light bowing, they moved on, indeed heading towards the buffet, which the Kyrenaians had left but a minute ago. The Shikonjimanese hadn't really had a lot of treats during the flight, save for sandwiches and tomato juice, so they would suit themselves with some nibbles before they would jump into chatting and dancing.

"Begging your pardon for my interruption." The silky smooth voice of Amaterasu Daidouji, Lady of the Domain of which she shared her namesake. She approached with a bow. Exchanging a few words of Japanese of greeting to the guests of Shikonjima but keeping Common for the sake of the Kyrenaia guests with them . "Again do pardon my rudeness for interrupting it's just nice to meet you all, this night. I'm glad Milady managed to scrape enough Japanese together to greet you properly." Oh my that was a rude, unfortunately she always did come off that way compared to her sisters or mother. It was one of her father's traits was a sort of bluntness about her. "Ah listen to me disrespecting our Monarch. You'll have to pardon me on that I really have the utmost respect for Her Majesty, I know she's doing her best to lead a diverse multilingual nation as ours. And she's made more efforts to try to speak compared to monarchs of our past. Anyway it's good to see you here and to see guests of the Sultanate here as well."

[Kyrenaia]

[...]

The two sisters were enjoying each other's company and chatting. Magdalene asking Carpathia about how school was going and the general kind of stuff. A few guests approached them "Oh good evening!" Carpathia bid them

Magdalene also bid "A good evening to you. Let's see..." She scrutinized them carefully to get a sense of where they were likely from. "I'm gonna guess you are....Kyrenaian!"

[...]

"Begging your pardon for my interruption." The silky smooth voice of Amaterasu Daidouji, Lady of the Domain of which she shared her namesake. She approached with a bow. Exchanging a few words of Japanese of greeting to the guests of Shikonjima but keeping Common for the sake of the Kyrenaia guests with them . "Again do pardon my rudeness for interrupting it's just nice to meet you all, this night. I'm glad Milady managed to scrape enough Japanese together to greet you properly." Oh my that was a rude, unfortunately she always did come off that way compared to her sisters or mother. It was one of her father's traits was a sort of bluntness about her. "Ah listen to me disrespecting our Monarch. You'll have to pardon me on that I really have the utmost respect for Her Majesty, I know she's doing her best to lead a diverse multilingual nation as ours. And she's made more efforts to try to speak compared to monarchs of our past. Anyway it's good to see you here and to see guests of the Sultanate here as well."

Khana Amina bint-Karim.
"It is no issue.", I said and moved slightly to the side to give the new arrival, I think I recognized her as Amaterasu Daidouji, Lady of the Domain of Amaterasu, a space to join our group. Her bluntness was, quite honestly, quite brutal but also quite refreshing. "And it is my pleasure to be here."
I bowed my head.
"I am Amina bint-Karim.", I introduced myself formally.

Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
Dad smiled and bowed his head lightly.
"And you are completely right, Magdalene-Amira.", he greeted and offered his hand. He would not shake it, I knew that, but he would take it, bow down and breath a kiss on its back. "I am Prince Damir ibn-Razia."
He then moved to introduce me, "My daughter Aurelia..."
"Hi.", I greeted both of them and bowed my head a bit more formal then my greeting was.
"...and my fiancee Yasmin.", Dad finished.
"It is a great pleasure.", she finished, then looked at Carpathia. "If I may say so, both of you look cute tonight."

[New Visayan Islands]

Allison Sanchez
Royal Palace

"Madame Governor," Allison replied with a bow of her own. "I'm Allison Sanchez, Secretary of Finance of the Confederation of the New Visayan Islands." As she was still with the Astarian couple, Prince Regis and his wife Shiho, she introduced them to Governor-General Putino: "Your Imperial Astarian Highness, Esperanta Putino, Governor-General of the Mazomba Islands of Kuronami. Governor-General, His Imperial Astarian Highness Prince Regis and his wife Shiho of House Blachkor."
There was something about Esperanta's name that got Allison thinking...of course!
"PiffleNet, Esperanta?" Allison asked; she had first learned of Putino in passing over the social network in question.

[Shikonjima]

"Begging your pardon for my interruption." The silky smooth voice of Amaterasu Daidouji, Lady of the Domain of which she shared her namesake. She approached with a bow. Exchanging a few words of Japanese of greeting to the guests of Shikonjima but keeping Common for the sake of the Kyrenaia guests with them . "Again do pardon my rudeness for interrupting it's just nice to meet you all, this night. I'm glad Milady managed to scrape enough Japanese together to greet you properly." Oh my that was a rude, unfortunately she always did come off that way compared to her sisters or mother. It was one of her father's traits was a sort of bluntness about her. "Ah listen to me disrespecting our Monarch. You'll have to pardon me on that I really have the utmost respect for Her Majesty, I know she's doing her best to lead a diverse multilingual nation as ours. And she's made more efforts to try to speak compared to monarchs of our past. Anyway it's good to see you here and to see guests of the Sultanate here as well."

Just in the moment Jirou had made his last remark, a woman the Shikonjimanese easily managed to identify as Amaterasu Daiduji, Lady of the Domain with the same name. She begged their pardon for her interruption, then spoke Japanese a bit, but soon got back to English, least Amina-Khana would be lost in the conversation. She made a rather blunt remark on Finé and apologized for it in the same breath.
Kyouko had to smile, while she nodded, excusing both her interruption and her little faux pas as to her statement towards Finé. Amina-Khana, who assured Jirou, that there was no issue with that (although he thought, her previous statement had suggested something different), introduced herself to the Lady she recognized as immediately as the Shikonjimanese did.
Kyouko bowed her head lightly. "Hajimemashite douzo yoroshiku, Daimyou-sama!" - she replied in Shikonjimanese, Pleased to meet you, too, Esteemed Lady, being sure, that Lady Amaterasu would understand her. Switching back to English, she said, "And don't worry, Her Imperial Majesty's effort of trying to gain a communicative level of all the languages spoken in these parts is well appreciated. After all, there aren't exactly few of them."
"Pleasure to meet you, Lady Amaterasu" - Shiko now said, bowing her head lightly, too. "Yamura no Shiko Hime, Princess and Royal Advisor" - she introduced herself, in a not too formal, but still polite manner.
"I am Prince Jirou of Shirayuki" - Jirou introduced herself. As Moriyasu and Jitsuko now were a bit too distant, on the other side of the buffet, to hear them and introduce themselves, Jirou took over this job, too. "Sageshima no Jitsuko, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Gonda no Moriyasu, Regent of Samidare. They should be back to us in a moment."

[Kuronami]

Allison Sanchez
Royal Palace

"Madame Governor," Allison replied with a bow of her own. "I'm Allison Sanchez, Secretary of Finance of the Confederation of the New Visayan Islands." As she was still with the Astarian couple, Prince Regis and his wife Shiho, she introduced them to Governor-General Putino: "Your Imperial Astarian Highness, Esperanta Putino, Governor-General of the Mazomba Islands of Kuronami. Governor-General, His Imperial Astarian Highness Prince Regis and his wife Shiho of House Blachkor."
There was something about Esperanta's name that got Allison thinking...of course!
"PiffleNet, Esperanta?" Allison asked; she had first learned of Putino in passing over the social network in question.

"Ah yes! That is me. I haven't posted in a little while so I'm glad I'm remembered. But you're right on the money! Glad to meet you and make your acquaintance, how are you doing this evening, enjoying the party I hope?"

Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
Dad smiled and bowed his head lightly.
"And you are completely right, Magdalene-Amira.", he greeted and offered his hand. He would not shake it, I knew that, but he would take it, bow down and breath a kiss on its back. "I am Prince Damir ibn-Razia."
He then moved to introduce me, "My daughter Aurelia..."
"Hi.", I greeted both of them and bowed my head a bit more formal then my greeting was.
"...and my fiancee Yasmin.", Dad finished.
"It is a great pleasure.", she finished, then looked at Carpathia. "If I may say so, both of you look cute tonight."

"Oh thank you, thank you very much" They both thanked

"Oh wait," Carpathia said, "Aurelia, as in the Princess Aurelia. Yeah, that's right you're the Princess trying to change the laws right? Hey just wanna say it's pretty awesome what you're doing. I hope you go and kick some serious a--"

"Have a roll." Magdalene stuffed a fresh dinner roll in Carpathia's mouth "I think what my sister is saying we're very supportive here of what you're trying to do. Well at least the whole family. You might have guessed our sister the Empress here has that red headed fox on her arm for the same reason and she's wishing all her support.

"Mmhmhmh" Carpathia muffled out and nodded with her mouth full

"Now now, Carpathia don't talk with your mouth full. Excuse Carp here, she has no sense of royal dignaty or class."

Carpathia swallowed "Carp, what am I fish?" She sipped down some fruit punch

Just in the moment Jirou had made his last remark, a woman the Shikonjimanese easily managed to identify as Amaterasu Daiduji, Lady of the Domain with the same name. She begged their pardon for her interruption, then spoke Japanese a bit, but soon got back to English, least Amina-Khana would be lost in the conversation. She made a rather blunt remark on Finé and apologized for it in the same breath.
Kyouko had to smile, while she nodded, excusing both her interruption and her little faux pas as to her statement towards Finé. Amina-Khana, who assured Jirou, that there was no issue with that (although he thought, her previous statement had suggested something different), introduced herself to the Lady she recognized as immediately as the Shikonjimanese did.
Kyouko bowed her head lightly. "Hajimemashite douzo yoroshiku, Daimyou-sama!" - she replied in Shikonjimanese, Pleased to meet you, too, Esteemed Lady, being sure, that Lady Amaterasu would understand her. Switching back to English, she said, "And don't worry, Her Imperial Majesty's effort of trying to gain a communicative level of all the languages spoken in these parts is well appreciated. After all, there aren't exactly few of them."
"Pleasure to meet you, Lady Amaterasu" - Shiko now said, bowing her head lightly, too. "Yamura no Shiko Hime, Princess and Royal Advisor" - she introduced herself, in a not too formal, but still polite manner.
"I am Prince Jirou of Shirayuki" - Jirou introduced herself. As Moriyasu and Jitsuko now were a bit too distant, on the other side of the buffet, to hear them and introduce themselves, Jirou took over this job, too. "Sageshima no Jitsuko, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Gonda no Moriyasu, Regent of Samidare. They should be back to us in a moment."

Khana Amina bint-Karim.
"It is no issue.", I said and moved slightly to the side to give the new arrival, I think I recognized her as Amaterasu Daidouji, Lady of the Domain of Amaterasu, a space to join our group. Her bluntness was, quite honestly, quite brutal but also quite refreshing. "And it is my pleasure to be here."
I bowed my head.
"I am Amina bint-Karim.", I introduced myself formally.

"It is my absolute pleasure to meet you, Hime-sama. And a great pleasure to meet you Karim-sama. Or Bint-Karim? Mmm I don't really know much about the names where you come from but they are interesting so again I am doing my best. I hope you are all doing very well tonight, I'm glad you decided to attend our nation's winter ball, it's always the highlight of the season for all of us nobles."

[Kyrenaia]

Allison Sanchez
Royal Palace

"Madame Governor," Allison replied with a bow of her own. "I'm Allison Sanchez, Secretary of Finance of the Confederation of the New Visayan Islands." As she was still with the Astarian couple, Prince Regis and his wife Shiho, she introduced them to Governor-General Putino: "Your Imperial Astarian Highness, Esperanta Putino, Governor-General of the Mazomba Islands of Kuronami. Governor-General, His Imperial Astarian Highness Prince Regis and his wife Shiho of House Blachkor."
There was something about Esperanta's name that got Allison thinking...of course!
"PiffleNet, Esperanta?" Allison asked; she had first learned of Putino in passing over the social network in question.

"Ah yes! That is me. I haven't posted in a little while so I'm glad I'm remembered. But you're right on the money! Glad to meet you and make your acquaintance, how are you doing this evening, enjoying the party I hope?"

Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
Dad smiled and bowed his head lightly.
"And you are completely right, Magdalene-Amira.", he greeted and offered his hand. He would not shake it, I knew that, but he would take it, bow down and breath a kiss on its back. "I am Prince Damir ibn-Razia."
He then moved to introduce me, "My daughter Aurelia..."
"Hi.", I greeted both of them and bowed my head a bit more formal then my greeting was.
"...and my fiancee Yasmin.", Dad finished.
"It is a great pleasure.", she finished, then looked at Carpathia. "If I may say so, both of you look cute tonight."

"Oh thank you, thank you very much" They both thanked

"Oh wait," Carpathia said, "Aurelia, as in the Princess Aurelia. Yeah, that's right you're the Princess trying to change the laws right? Hey just wanna say it's pretty awesome what you're doing. I hope you go and kick some serious a--"

"Have a roll." Magdalene stuffed a fresh dinner roll in Carpathia's mouth "I think what my sister is saying we're very supportive here of what you're trying to do. Well at least the whole family. You might have guessed our sister the Empress here has that red headed fox on her arm for the same reason and she's wishing all her support.

"Mmhmhmh" Carpathia muffled out and nodded with her mouth full

"Now now, Carpathia don't talk with your mouth full. Excuse Carp here, she has no sense of royal dignaty or class."

Carpathia swallowed "Carp, what am I fish?" She sipped down some fruit punch

Just in the moment Jirou had made his last remark, a woman the Shikonjimanese easily managed to identify as Amaterasu Daiduji, Lady of the Domain with the same name. She begged their pardon for her interruption, then spoke Japanese a bit, but soon got back to English, least Amina-Khana would be lost in the conversation. She made a rather blunt remark on Finé and apologized for it in the same breath.
Kyouko had to smile, while she nodded, excusing both her interruption and her little faux pas as to her statement towards Finé. Amina-Khana, who assured Jirou, that there was no issue with that (although he thought, her previous statement had suggested something different), introduced herself to the Lady she recognized as immediately as the Shikonjimanese did.
Kyouko bowed her head lightly. "Hajimemashite douzo yoroshiku, Daimyou-sama!" - she replied in Shikonjimanese, Pleased to meet you, too, Esteemed Lady, being sure, that Lady Amaterasu would understand her. Switching back to English, she said, "And don't worry, Her Imperial Majesty's effort of trying to gain a communicative level of all the languages spoken in these parts is well appreciated. After all, there aren't exactly few of them."
"Pleasure to meet you, Lady Amaterasu" - Shiko now said, bowing her head lightly, too. "Yamura no Shiko Hime, Princess and Royal Advisor" - she introduced herself, in a not too formal, but still polite manner.
"I am Prince Jirou of Shirayuki" - Jirou introduced herself. As Moriyasu and Jitsuko now were a bit too distant, on the other side of the buffet, to hear them and introduce themselves, Jirou took over this job, too. "Sageshima no Jitsuko, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Gonda no Moriyasu, Regent of Samidare. They should be back to us in a moment."

Khana Amina bint-Karim.
"It is no issue.", I said and moved slightly to the side to give the new arrival, I think I recognized her as Amaterasu Daidouji, Lady of the Domain of Amaterasu, a space to join our group. Her bluntness was, quite honestly, quite brutal but also quite refreshing. "And it is my pleasure to be here."
I bowed my head.
"I am Amina bint-Karim.", I introduced myself formally.

"It is my absolute pleasure to meet you, Hime-sama. And a great pleasure to meet you Karim-sama. Or Bint-Karim? Mmm I don't really know much about the names where you come from but they are interesting so again I am doing my best. I hope you are all doing very well tonight, I'm glad you decided to attend our nation's winter ball, it's always the highlight of the season for all of us nobles."

Khana Amina bint-Karim.
I smiled.
"I can imagine. It is a nice festivity... and I do hope, that there are enough gentlemen, who do not let size stand in the way of a good dance.", said the woman of 2.16 meters. I let a beat pass. "Though, the formal style of address would be Amina-Khana, but just call me Amina, Milady. I do not often stand on ceremony. And speaking of which..." I motioned to my conversation partners from Shikonjima. "...we were just talking about our hobbies. If I may ask, what do you like to do in your spare time?"

Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
I bowed my head.
I was indeed the one and I knew, what Carpathia had wanted to say - I hoped so, too, even if it would be only metaphorical kicks in proverbial backsides.
"Thank you very much, from the bottom of my heart... and from the rest of the Movement.", I said and rose again. "It is a difficult struggle and discussion, but ever since that midday at the Al'Arz, the tone used became less aggressive and... it seems as if the attack brought people back to their senses." I let a beat pass. "If anything, that is something positive."
Clearing my throat, I added: "But for something happier, if I may ask, do you have anyone in your lives?"

[Astares Amauricanum]

Allison Sanchez
Royal Palace

"A good evening to you too, Your Imperial Highness," Allison replied, returning the bow that had become her usual method of greeting during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to Prince Regis and his wife. "I wish to convey the same condolences to your nation; from what I understand the virus has touched your country as well," she added.
"On a more uplifting note, we've had success with the use of convalescent serum to aid in fighting the disease; ever since the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center requested that people who have recovered from the disease get their blood plasma tested before they can donate, I got tested." A beat passed before Allison continued: "I could, and I did, donate plasma to help in securing COVID convalescent serum. Which is just as well, some vaccine candidates are still undergoing trials."


"Madame Governor," Allison replied with a bow of her own. "I'm Allison Sanchez, Secretary of Finance of the Confederation of the New Visayan Islands." As she was still with the Astarian couple, Prince Regis and his wife Shiho, she introduced them to Governor-General Putino: "Your Imperial Astarian Highness, Esperanta Putino, Governor-General of the Mazomba Islands of Kuronami. Governor-General, His Imperial Astarian Highness Prince Regis and his wife Shiho of House Blachkor."
There was something about Esperanta's name that got Allison thinking...of course!
"PiffleNet, Esperanta?" Allison asked; she had first learned of Putino in passing over the social network in question.

---

Fine was all adorned by the lovely locket which had the most beautiful engraving of her her family's crest. "It's truly beautiful and I'll treasure it for certain. Izetta would you do me the pleasure?" She handed over the locket to Izetta so that she might attach it to Fine. "It'd be my pleasure, Milady." With that, it was said and done it gracefully hung from her neck. "Thank you again." And with that they were gestured along to move.

Marcella had gotten a bit lost after needing a small restroom break thankfully a kindly maid escorted her back to the main floor. "Thank you, I'm truly sorry."

"No trouble at all, Milady, it happens all the time. enjoy the party and let us know if you need anything."

"Thank you." Gisella put a glass of water down "There you are, what happened?"

"I got a little lost. I thought I knew this place better."

"You know the seas better than you know yourself or any place you've only been once."

The sisterly conversation was cut short when they were approached by a group of other guests who introduced themselves as the Emperor and Empress of Astares Amauricanum. Oh of course! A good friend for the UIS and Kuronami Empire only natural they'd be here. "oh yes! Good evening Milord and Lady." Marcella bowed slightly in a greeting. "And it's a true honor to meet you. Oh, my younger sister Gisella." She introduced Gisella.

"Good evening."

Regis and Shiho Blachkor
"Thank you for your condolences, replies Regis with a nod, indeed we have also been touched by this outbreak, including recently, my nephew and niece in law, Adrean and Anna, our current monarchs. Since they're both respectively trained as a doctor and nurse, they chose to go help during a new spike of cases that happened in our capital, and they got contaminated. Fortunately, they recovered well, just like you.
As for donating plasma of recovered patients, we are currently trying that, but our main focus to treat the disease has been to use a combination of chloroquin and azithromycin, after a recent study was made by a French infectiologist, Dr Didier Raoult. Although it sparked some controversies in France, my nephew ordered for a full scale use of this treatment in the Empire.
-Oh, Miss Putino, glad to meet you as well, continues Shiho with a smile as the Governor joins them. We heard that you suffered from a COVID outbreak as well, our condolences for any deaths that may have occured.
-So, Ladies, continues Regis, speaking of the outbreak, I hope the economical impact of it has not been too rough on your respective national economies? In the Empire, even though we had to heavily subsidize, it really helped in the end, and the downfall was far less worse than anticipated."

Adrean and Anna Blachkor
"Good evening to you as well, Princess Gisella, replies Anna with a smile. I see that the press outlets concerning you didn't lie, you are indeed as cute as a button, adds the Empress with a smile even warmer.
-Indeed, continues the Emperor. Anyway Duchess, he continues as he turns back towards Marcella, I would like to know if you have had any problems with us occupying the Islas Malditas since last October. Moreover, I would like to tell you that by the end of the year, many facilities and amenities will be completed around the Islas, and among them a vast hospital facility. In this hospital facility, we plan to not only be able to heal our own citizens who will be posted there, but your citizens as well, especially for serious conditions and illnesses, like the recent COVID19 outbreak that swept across the world. In order to do so, we plan to have a fleet of helicopters be ready 24/7. We hope that it's not too much of an offer."