A Messy Breakup (Private)

by **Mervay** » Fri Jul 30, 2021 1:34 am

That was something she wasn't expecting at all, that she would be here so soon, in fact she thought the meeting would extend to the night. The gazes of the two were... Tense and; akward, like if it could be cut with a knife.
Tess smiled at Satou and sat close to her, her hand linking with hers and squeezing it. Then, her mother spoke first.

"It's nice to see you two, last time we were able to be together was during february when the Masquerade Carinval happened." Jess smiled warmly, hoping to lessen the tension. Tess could only nod before asking the needed question.

"I take that... This isn't just a visit to pass by I believe..." Tess asked, her eyes concentrated in her mother as she nodded seriously. "I take that. That it is to convince us to go back to Mervay I believe?" There wasn't any sight of an accusation, just expectation; they knew the truth, the question, would appear.

It was for a few moments, but silence filled the room before Jessica answered; an slow nod was all what it was needed to confirm it from the dark green haired.

"I fear there's a possibility arising should Lady Villa back down by whatever reasons; they are. Unlikely and almost impossible, but..." She couldn't come to terms with the fact that there was a stinging spine in her heart that told her that something could go wrong, it wasn't her pragmatic side, no; it was her emotional side. The Kyrenaians could also be the ones to back down for whatever reason and... In both cases she had a guess or hunch in what could it be. "That's something your father and I fear Tess, I also was to talk this with your grandmother as well Satou; more considering that she's part of the family as well."

By that point however, Tess decided to finally speak, taking a deep breath and looking at her mother seriously and that she wasn't to back down.

"Mom... Satou and I came to an decision... That is that we will... We will..." She takes a deep break, looking at her wife before returning her gaze to her mother. "We will stay in AHSCA to ride the crisis out and that's. Final." She wasn't took back down and she wanted to make it clear already; of course, her mother was looking with shock and narrowed her eyes at the decision.

"Tess Catherine Fujimiya Dileva, what is the meaning of this?" Her mother mutters before returning her gaze on her daughter and her wife. "Do you understand that what your and your wife's life might as well be at risk if someone decides to get a bit over their head and choose either their pride or listen to the hawks?" There was that possibility should someone go and play hardball or something happens that makes everything turn 180º. She saw her daughter only nod at it with a heavy sigh.

"I understand the risks very well mother and trust me, this wasn't an easy choice." Her eyes drifted apart for a second before returning back to the face of her mother, a hefty question with her about why this. "Is this about what happened seven years ago? The attack where dad and I thought you died? You fear that something like that will happen...?" She asks delicately as her mother silently nods, eyes looking away of the couple before she had the chance to say a word for a few minutes before she was able to muster them.

"You said you also want to stay, right, Satou?"

Kyrenaia wrote:Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica.
Razia-Sultana Umm-Albilad.
I saw, that a brief moment of worry came in as he realized, who I meant by Ilia - his presence involved Mokastana Northeast, officially. Unofficially, he would be a friendly reminder to the world, that Kyrenaia could have, and, in times long past, would have, reacted differently.
Besides, it was high time, that the Lord-Commander of the Navy got a bit of diplomatic experience under his belt.
He did smile warmly at his own mentioning of Fenchu's Flower... was somebody crushing already?
"It is absolutely no problem. In fact, I went ahead and organized a room for you to stay.", I said and smiled myself. "Please apologize the presumptions of an old woman. Fara?"
My own Handmaiden bowed her head, then poked said head out, calling in another Handmaiden. She was a pretty young woman, light skinned and with brown hair and red eyes. She gracefully sank to her knees at the head-end of the table, on Pandereos' side, which would give him a good chance to look at her closely.
"This young woman is Marla Sahrar of the Tribe of Wicklow, a Handmaiden in Service to this House.", I introduced, "She will take care of any of your needs, which might arise." I let a beat pass. "I am afraid, however, that I will have to leave you now. While the current diplomatic issues are at the forefront of everything right now, normal duties continue."
I rose, then bowed my own head lightly, more a nod then a bow.
"It was a pleasure, Prince Pandereos, and I look forward to dinner tonight.", I said, sincere. "Keep it up and your future will be bright."

Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond.
Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
Oh, Agus being embarrassed and red as a tomato looked so adorably cute, I could hardly contain a giggle - her reaction was quite nice, too, er tease making me blush lightly as well.
Her fingers on my chin felt... electrifying...
I rose with her and led her down, into the Hot Room, which deserved its name. It was full of steam, ready to be soaked up for health benefits - the skin profited from it, the nervous system profited from it, it was generally healthy... and it was only a small curtain and a small stairwell away, leading down into the rock. The mats on the steps ensured, that even the wettest and slippiest of feet would have safe steps.
Downstairs, a number of benches lined the room, with four tables of massive stone were set into the middle, massage tables. Usually, a tellak was the one giving massages, and I had one on staff (he was actually my gardener), but today...
I turned to Agus, my eyes serious.
"Agus...", I said and then continued: "...if you really want me to give you a massage, I will do so - the whole nine yards. But please be aware, that I will have to touch you in... places for that." I hoped, that she got my message and... something in me hoped, that she would not chicken out. "Are you okay with that?"

Pandareos III of Mervay
Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica
The fact the head of the navy was to be present was certainly surprising and caught him off-guard. Indeed, he was worried as that message was certainly to be expected, but then he knew that the whole Mokastana Detonation (To put it kindly) made everyone go off their nerves and would had almost looked like a missile struck the base.
But out of that he did looked foward to that dinner, it was to be, interesting, relaxing and perhaps, fun.
The Prince smiled and nodded grateful that it wouldn't be a problem his stay and that a room was prepared in anticipation, since that meant no need to search around Utica for a hotel. Then the handmaiden assigned to him appeared; light skinned, red eyes and brown hair, she was dressed like all handmaidens, she kneeled at the head end of the table from his side, he gave a look at the woman which was to be his maid for his stay. As soon as he heard the name, he did had to say he was surprised, a Selkie huh? Well, that was surprising to a degree at least, but it wasn't important in general.
He then heard what The Sultana had to say before getting up as well in simultaneous as she did, hearing her words before nodding and giving an warm and grateful smile from the woman in front of him.

"The pleasure was all mine Your Majesty." He respondered, completely honest and grateful. "I also look foward to tonight's dinner and I appreciate the compliment." There was an slight blush because of it but he was glad to hear it went well.

"I wish you good luck with the remaining matters you must attend." With that, he grabbed his coat and glared at his handmaiden, smiling kindly. "Miss Marla, would you kindly take me to my bedroom please, I've must make a few calls regarding some affairs."

Agustinas Florenze Da Mervay
Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond
After their teasing was done, she followed Aurelia all the way down to the Hot Room where the massage would be happening. The Hot Room did certainly deserved it's name as it was full of steam and was slip-proof; meaning no one couldn't fall to the floor even if they wanted to; plus a few tables for massage. It was, kind of a massive sauna if Agus had to be honest, she should make a note to herself on commissioning one back at home when she isn't near a hot spring.
Of course that was all cut when Aurelia asked her if she was really sure of doing this, more considering what she was saying. It was surely another thing that could make or break everything considering what happened just before; but, Agustinas wasn't one to say no to a massage and as serious as her friend sounded considering what she was trying to say, plus she gave her word after all.

"I'm completely sure, Aurelia." She said, smiling at her friend before looking at her friend with an warm look on her face to reassure her she was alright with this. She then sat at one of the tables, smiling at her friend before laying down the table. She wouldn't back out after all.

by **Kyrenaia** » Sun Aug 01, 2021 3:51 am

Dear Adrean, dear Anna,
you two seem to forget something: I am both a Selkie and a Kyrenaian. Even worse for the other side, I am a Kyrenaian Princess. Neither are known to hold any punches.

It's alright. I understand the importance duties before pleasure and I would not have it any other way.

Signed,
Aurelia

Mervay wrote:[...]
Pandareos III of Mervay
Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica
The fact the head of the navy was to be present was certainly surprising and caught him off-guard. Indeed, he was worried as that message was certainly to be expected, but then he knew that the whole Mokastana Detonation (To put it kindly) made everyone go off their nerves and would had almost looked like a missile struck the base.
But out of that he did looked foward to that dinner, it was to be, interesting, relaxing and perhaps, fun.
The Prince smiled and nodded grateful that it wouldn't be a problem his stay and that a room was prepared in anticipation, since that meant no need to search around Utica for a hotel. Then the handmaiden assigned to him appeared; light skinned, red eyes and brown hair, she was dressed like all handmaidens, she kneeled at the head end of the table from his side, he gave a look at the woman which was to be his maid for his stay. As soon as he heard the name, he did had to say he was surprised, a Selkie huh? Well, that was surprising to a degree at least, but it wasn't important in general.
He then heard what The Sultana had to say before getting up as well in simultaneous as she did, hearing her words before nodding and giving an warm and grateful smile from the woman in front of him.

"The pleasure was all mine Your Majesty." He respondered, completely honest and grateful. "I also look foward to tonight's dinner and I appreciate the compliment." There was an slight blush because of it but he was glad to hear it went well.

"I wish you good luck with the remaining matters you must attend." With that, he grabbed his coat and glared at his handmaiden, smiling kindly. "Miss Marla, would you kindly take me to my bedroom please, I've must make a few calls regarding some affairs."

Agustinas Florenze Da Mervay
Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond
After their teasing was done, she followed Aurelia all the way down to the Hot Room where the massage would be happening. The Hot Room did certainly deserved it's name as it was full of steam and was slip-proof; meaning no one couldn't fall to the floor even if they wanted to; plus a few tables for massage. It was, kind of a massive sauna if Agus had to be honest, she should make a note to herself on commissioning one back at home when she isn't near a hot spring.
Of course that was all cut when Aurelia asked her if she was really sure of doing this, more considering what she was saying. It was surely another thing that could make or break everything considering what happened just before; but, Agustinas wasn't one to say no to a massage and as serious as her friend sounded considering what she was trying to say, plus she gave her word after all.

"I'm completely sure, Aurelia." She said, smiling at her friend before looking at her friend with an warm look on her face to reassure her she was alright with this. She then sat at one of the tables, smiling at her friend before laying down the table. She wouldn't back out after all.

Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica.
Marla Sahrar of the Tribe of Wicklow.
Once the Sultana had left, not with another grateful bow at the good wishes, the Prince addressed me. 'Miss Marla' – he was polite, even if he did not know the customs when dealing with a Kyrenaian Handmaiden.
Rising to my feet in one elegant, flowing motion, I bowed my head.
“Of course, Sir. Please follow me.”, I replied and turned, fixing the translucent veil to my head again.
The Palace of the Azure Hall was a labyrinth even for those knowing it all their lives, like the Sultana, but us Handmaidens were well aware of where everything was and how to get there.
The quarters assigned to Prince Pandereos, who had a spectacular view of my back as I led him through the corridors, were the Arballayl Quarters not too far away.
Letting out a bit of a tourist guide, I took the scenic route, along a number of frescoes. The Handmaiden's Fresco, showing the 'life cycle' of a Handmaiden, was one of my favourites: It started with rigorous training, finishing it with ceremony, then continued with being bought (people of our station were once slaves and Kyrenaia was not above admitting to this darker part of our history) by a Prince, working her butt off with various duties, then being assigned to train with the Tabardariyya. Following that, the Handmaiden became the guardian of the children of her Prince, as well as their assistant. Then she got to know a cute guy (for some reason or the other, it was a fresco painter) and asked her Prince for permission to marry the man, who granted it and gave his blessings with a soft smile.
The fresco ended with the Handmaiden leaving the Palace with her new husband, ending her 'life cycle'.
We arrived at the Arballayl Quarters, originally intended as quarters for an entire diplomatic delegation a few minutes later. The Tabardariyya at the door shouldered his axe, I opened the door. The quarters were centralized around a main room, a sort-of living room, from which multiple doors went off – one led down a hallway to a number of smaller bedrooms for whoever the diplomat had come with, including whoever Pandereos had come with, while another one led into a master bedroom and yet another led into a bathroom. A fruit basket stood on the table in the main room, a small envelope with the passwords for the LAN and a list of programmes on the TV in the corner of the room tucked under it.
Another door led out into a small inner garden, which the Arballayl Quarters shared with other guest rooms (make an educated guess as to who's).
I bowed my head as Pandereos entered behind me, expecting the next orders.

Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond.
Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
She was sure.
She was so sure, that she went ahead and laid down on one of the tables, on her stomach.
I swallowed – okay, the whole nine yards.
Stepping up to the table, I smiled, running my fingers lightly along her spine. Gods, her skin felt positively electrifying... then I placed one of my knees to her left and swung myself upwards, bringing my knee down on her other side. I sat there for a moment, my hips a bit above her rear, my knees to her sides.
Neck and shoulders first, despite me having worked them a bit before.
Hands on the shoulders, close to the neck, fingers over them by the collarbone, but no pressing – instead, knead with the thumbs. I would have to move her hair out of the way in but a moment, but for now, the blonde cascade looked beautiful.
It reminded me of my own, back when I was younger and before I had 'gotten under the lawnmower', as one commentator had said. Now, I had short hair and I liked it.
I also liked...
“Your skin feels nice.”, I complimented Agus, “Any special lotion you use?”

Ximena Pecheco.
The mercenaries, who had been hired by the Chandshar, were very specialized persons.
They were not the standard, run of the mill wannabe action heroes running around with assault rifles and shooting everything that moved, but masters of their crafts – and Silvio had decided to put me in charge of them, or rather recommend to the Chandshar, that I would be put in charge.
We had six people in total, all working on different projects using different fronts and once a day, we all came together for a communal meal and conference of sorts.
There was Friki, the designated geek of our group, there were the Túdios-Brothers, who were working on a different front then Friki, there were Davanter and Cantata, our brawn (and I think, that Cantata had a close eye on me for other reasons then me being responsible for his payment), and of course myself.
We had one interesting job: Bring the UIS to its knees without firing a single shot.
Not exactly the easiest job even for an intelligence agency, but we had the great advantage of not being an intelligence agency, so we had different options.
Like what Friki had just placed onto the table.
“It's a mouse.”, I said.
“A rat, actually.”, he corrected me with a small smile, “A Dumuard Rice Rat, to be precise. They are everywhere and they love to eat rice plants, the main crop of the UIS.”
A shudder went down my spine. This was devious.
“But Dumuard is a Kyrenaian Territory.”, Davanter said, “Wouldn't that be a dead giveaway as to who brought them to the UIS?”
“One could make the presumption, yes.”, Friki agreed, “But one would quickly hit a massive roadblock with that theory: Thanks to shipping, they got spread all over the place. Rice rats can be found in Lutetii, Teressien, Brucalla, the Free Lands, everywhere, so it would be easier to blame it on a merchant vessel or a yacht bringing them to the UIS on accident.” He shrugged. “It happens to this day.”
Davanter nodded.
The rat squeaked.
“How effective will they be?”, I asked.
“It will take a few months until they reproduced enough to even be noticed.”, Friki admitted, “We will have to release quite a few of them into the wild, hope that they find their niche and off we go... bioweapon without being a bioweapon.”
I shuddered again.
“I would greatly prefer to just smash up the Goddess' Statues in Aurora's main temple.”, Cantata said and upon the appalled looks, he added: “I even have a sledgehammer. Showing them, that their Gods will not protect them will bring them fear and make them question why they still have that child as Duchess.”
“This is a line we will not cross.”, I cut off that discussion, “We are not Christians.” I looked each into the eye. “Friki, that is an excellent start. See if you can't get more rats... and please keep them contained.” The nerdy man saluted in agreement. “Túdios, both of you, what do you have?”
The older looked to the younger, who produced a letter. “Remember when the Chandshar gave us permission to use one of their organizational fronts associated with the Democratic Movement?”, he said and grinned, “Well...”

To: Senator Setsuko Fujihara, AHSCACP.
From: Khalid Abn, Front for the Liberation of Kyrenaian Workers and Democracy in the Five Deserts.

Dear Senator Fujihara,
we heard of the struggle the proletariat in the UIS faces under the lash of the Duchess Marcella Villa and as you might be aware, the Kyrenaian Proletariat faces similar struggles under the more insidious lash of the Sultana and her apparatchiks.
Both of us follow similar goals, the liberation of the peasants and workers in our respective nations from the shackles and chains imposed upon them by the Monarchs of the World. We both want to see the proletariat rise and throw them off like a horse throws off an incompetent rider – and if the last few weeks have shown one thing, then that both the Sultana and the Duchess are incompetent riders.
In my opinion, it is time for the AHSCACP and for the Front to pool their resources and see, how we can break our chains – if need be with the hammer.

Signed,
Khalid Abn,
Front for the Liberation of Kyrenaian Workers and Democracy in the Five Deserts.

“As far as the records are concerned, Khalid Abn exists and he looks a lot like me.”, the younger brother said and leaned back as I passed the letter around.
“Very good. Send it.”, I ordered the two of them. “We might also want to contact General Sturnum as well... he seems ambitious enough to try for a change in dynasty if pushed into the right direction.” The two brothers nodded. “So, what else?”
There was nothing.
“Then I'll get out dinner out!”, I said and cheers rose up.
It paid off to be the only one in the house, who could cook.

by **AHSCA** » Sun Aug 01, 2021 12:56 pm

"Greenhouse work?" Mago questioned "Are we talking something akin to horticultural sabotage?"

Mola shook her head "No, Mago, I don't think that's what this is for. A job offering like this one might allow us to get closer to the inner court, as close as one can be without becoming one of the handmaidens. I can see why you're calling on me for this, given I'm an expert in flowers of all kinds."

"That is true."

"Also, you've probably noticed my flair for writing if you've read any of my lovely poems." As mentioned she was the one who would write out coded messages in Esperanto. "So being able to quickly set up a backstory won't be a problem. Of course any input you wish to give me, I'll welcome. If it's a resume you need, I know of quite a few places around Lamoni alone I can claim to have worked at. If that's a bit obvious there's other nations in Greater Dienstad that aren't as close to us as they are I can claim to have worked at as well. It should be little trouble, and Mago here is just as knowledgeable about the region at large. We should act fast, no telling if others will jump on this position just as quickly."

Satou gave a quiet nod then spoke in her soft voice, "Milady Dileva, I know you're being her mother right now, you're looking out for your beloved daughter. You're a wonderful woman who loves her so dearly. And the fact you've come here shows that much to be true. You welcome me and my grandmother as members of your family and you're wanting to look out for us. Sorry, what I'm trying to get at is, we do want to stay for the time being. I know there's reasons to be worried, I can't deny even I'm growing concerned, but I have faith things will workout before growing too serious. And Tess is my dear wife now, she's accepted everything that comes with living in these islands. Mervay is a wonderful and very modern country, one that I'm also proud to call my second home now, it's nothing compared to here but the fact Tess has accepted life here, means she's willing to accept what comes with living here. As her dear wife, I also vowed the day I married her I would take care of her, protect her. That was something my father swore to my mother and her own mother, my dear grandmother and father when he married her and it's the same promise I give to Tess and to you. I promise if I feel it's time to leave for Mervay with her, I will go with no fuss. But for now, we want to stay here and enjoy each other's company while we can. Soon she'll be returning for her greater education and I'll miss her when she goes as always. Milady, please do consider it."

Setsuko Fujihara

since her faithful evening in the public baths with her colleague from congress, Kiri. Setsuko had certainly given Kiri's offers plenty of thought. Thought on both terms. she still had the striking suspicion the relationship was a way to manipulate her into simply agreeing to it but damn it if she wasn't enjoying it. Certainly the two had grown closer to the point she certainly agreed to introducing the articles of impeachment against the Duchess. In spite of Noir's offhanded remark to Shizuka Gozen, she had nothing to do with it, it was purely the embroiled passions between the two. This was another evening the two shared again trying not to talk business but somehow it came up anyway.

"Kiri." Setsuko said holding the blond in her arms

"Mmmmm?"

"You really think it's a good idea?"

"Sure I do. Come on, what do we got to lose? Everything we're doing is legal. But speaking of legal, what's that letter on your desk?"

"Oh that? Something came to be by express, I've been a bit busy as you might remember."

Kiri pushed Setsuko out of the bed "Well go read it, dummy, might be important."

"Gee, you really are a selfish lover." Setsuko complied opening it up, well this was a surprise, she went quiet reading it over and over again.

"Well, what is it?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"We're already sharing everything so why not share? is it a letter from dear old mama or papa or secret boyfriend or girlfriend?"

"If you must know, sounds like I've already gained some sympathizers."

"ooooh hope you know how to navigate that!" By law, if you aren't the Duchess or someone appointed directly by her, you aren't allowed to represent the UIS in government matters, but this seemd more like a private letter rather than a government one.

"Don't be dumb, of course I do. You really get on my nerves you know that?"

"That's what makes us click! Hehehe. Well what is it?"

"There's a pro-republican movement out of Kyrenaia showing sympathy to my cause. But why they writing me now and not last year when I ran for office?"

"Guess they heard of our little stunt we just pulled. It's all in the news."

"I thought you said nobody would care?"

"And nobody does! Here it's front page news, in Larshstana (A sort of fusion nickname for Mokastana, Lamoni and Holy Marsh, AHSCA's closest allies) it probably is a blurb burried a few pages in, everywhere else, meh! Though I guess the Kyres might like seeing our silly Duchess get what's coming to her."

"Hum. Guess I'll write back."

"What right now? C'mon I thought you and I were gonna cuddle all night long!"

"Oh give me 10 minutes it won't take that long, it's short, I just want to thank them." Setsuko lit up the glass lantern on the desk to scribble out a quick response.

To: Khalid Abn, Front for the Liberation of Kyrenaian Workers and Democracy in the Five Deserts.
From: Senator Setsuko Fujihara, AHSCACP, Aurora Island

Dear Abn,

Thank you for your recent letter to me. In the interest of transparency and accountability I must make it perfectly clear that I'm only writing you in the capacity of a private correspondence and not as any official state business. Granted, I'm certain the same is with you but laws are law that I must follow as Senator.

Now I wanted to address your letter directly, indeed we are out for the same goals. My goal is to reform the system within, that is my ideal that's how I intend to go about it. I'm not certain what your intent will be to achieve your own but we also come from countries with very different political systems so I understand if things might be tougher for you. I'm not my party's chair but I can certainly let her know you are interested in working with us directly to help us achieve our goal. We are more than just one island, we span across all our islands with the hope one day AHSCA will truly be the worker's commune and not subject to the old fashioned ideals of monarchy. There are those who would like to see a controlled Socialist State others want to see the true goals of Marxism achieved by creating a stateless place but in the end our goals are the same, we want our people to be free from the shackles of tyranny of capitalism and monarchism.

You may have heard by now, that a fellow Senator and I have moved for a vote of no Confidence in our nation's Congress. I'm not going to lie, the odds are very against us that we'll be successful, but in the end I hope the message will resonate with those in power and those without that our crown is fragile and can easily be done away with given the chance.

Until then I hope we shall be in touch,

Setsuko Fujihara

by **Astares Amauricanum** » Sun Aug 01, 2021 2:00 pm

Dear Aurelia,

Our bad, sorry for missing that. Either way, if you can, please give them a bit of hell from our part too.

Indeed. Take care of yourself.

Signed,
Adrean and Anna

"Negative Mago, we are talking like Mola deduced very well, getting close to the high circles of power in this country, by bypassing the Handmaiden process." replies Alima with a sharp tone.

The Astarian agent lets abeat pass, before turning to Mola again with a very serious expression.

"You are right Mola, we need to act fast, but not sloppy. Remember that Kyrenaians don't take kindly to spies on their territory. If we fuck this up, and I use vurgar words to carry my point across, you, and even all of us, will be dead. Got it?
And if I may say while I don't doubt that your poems are good, remember you'll be writing numbers only as per the protocol you've learned in the Imperium. Poems will come when we all get home. Understood?"

"So, what we need, and what I am here for, is to work with you on both a resume and a fictional background. The ideas you suggested with Lamoni and Greater Dienstad are good ones. It will maybe make a few eyebrows raise, but the region is a great place, so the chance of someone finding this suspect from the start is very slim."

"Also, regarding your background, if the Kyrenaians try to cross reference it, you need to have people inside the places you will supposedly have worked that can testify that you have worked there. Is it the case?"

by **AHSCA** » Sun Aug 01, 2021 2:53 pm

"Indeed, all espionage is a game of cat and mouse. I only hope to be the cat and not the mouse in this case. Jes. As for sources to correspond, I'll pass that along to Pluva to handle, she has plenty contacts to call upon that. A backstory is needed, I know it may seem obvious but there's no sense in hiding the fact I'm from the UIS. Afraid acting is not one of my strong suits and there's not a lot of time for me to try to practice with a dialogue coach. However, I'd propose saying I spent enough time abroad that my loyalty would be considered scant. My accent is too strong to say my parents left during the war so perhaps say I was raised there and simply I've been out of the country for some time. Some of our passports have already been orchestrated to look like we've come from visiting other countries before visiting the Sultanate, myself included so perhaps that will work in our favor."

"I must agree" Mago concurred "Our mannerisms and dialects are too strong to pose as Marshites or Lamonians or to pose as girls who've lived abroad all our lives. Sorry I suppose I shouldn't say we, I'm just meaning in a general sense. Otherwise this would be a job for I-er-Pluva. She is actually foreign."

"Mago is right but Pluva is a highly skilled comrade with us but she knows nothing of proper floral care and again scant time for us to teach her that. I'm the best one for this job but it's a job we got to do right because as you say, the penalty for failure is our lives."

by **Mervay** » Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:48 pm

Kyrenaia wrote:Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica.
Marla Sahrar of the Tribe of Wicklow.
Once the Sultana had left, not with another grateful bow at the good wishes, the Prince addressed me. 'Miss Marla' – he was polite, even if he did not know the customs when dealing with a Kyrenaian Handmaiden.
Rising to my feet in one elegant, flowing motion, I bowed my head.
“Of course, Sir. Please follow me.”, I replied and turned, fixing the translucent veil to my head again.
The Palace of the Azure Hall was a labyrinth even for those knowing it all their lives, like the Sultana, but us Handmaidens were well aware of where everything was and how to get there.
The quarters assigned to Prince Pandereos, who had a spectacular view of my back as I led him through the corridors, were the Arballayl Quarters not too far away.
Letting out a bit of a tourist guide, I took the scenic route, along a number of frescoes. The Handmaiden's Fresco, showing the 'life cycle' of a Handmaiden, was one of my favourites: It started with rigorous training, finishing it with ceremony, then continued with being bought (people of our station were once slaves and Kyrenaia was not above admitting to this darker part of our history) by a Prince, working her butt off with various duties, then being assigned to train with the Tabardariyya. Following that, the Handmaiden became the guardian of the children of her Prince, as well as their assistant. Then she got to know a cute guy (for some reason or the other, it was a fresco painter) and asked her Prince for permission to marry the man, who granted it and gave his blessings with a soft smile.
The fresco ended with the Handmaiden leaving the Palace with her new husband, ending her 'life cycle'.
We arrived at the Arballayl Quarters, originally intended as quarters for an entire diplomatic delegation a few minutes later. The Tabardariyya at the door shouldered his axe, I opened the door. The quarters were centralized around a main room, a sort-of living room, from which multiple doors went off – one led down a hallway to a number of smaller bedrooms for whoever the diplomat had come with, including whoever Pandereos had come with, while another one led into a master bedroom and yet another led into a bathroom. A fruit basket stood on the table in the main room, a small envelope with the passwords for the LAN and a list of programmes on the TV in the corner of the room tucked under it.
Another door led out into a small inner garden, which the Arballayl Quarters shared with other guest rooms (make an educated guess as to who's).
I bowed my head as Pandereos entered behind me, expecting the next orders.

Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond.
Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
She was sure.
She was so sure, that she went ahead and laid down on one of the tables, on her stomach.
I swallowed – okay, the whole nine yards.
Stepping up to the table, I smiled, running my fingers lightly along her spine. Gods, her skin felt positively electrifying... then I placed one of my knees to her left and swung myself upwards, bringing my knee down on her other side. I sat there for a moment, my hips a bit above her rear, my knees to her sides.
Neck and shoulders first, despite me having worked them a bit before.
Hands on the shoulders, close to the neck, fingers over them by the collarbone, but no pressing – instead, knead with the thumbs. I would have to move her hair out of the way in but a moment, but for now, the blonde cascade looked beautiful.
It reminded me of my own, back when I was younger and before I had 'gotten under the lawnmower', as one commentator had said. Now, I had short hair and I liked it.
I also liked...
“Your skin feels nice.”, I complimented Agus, “Any special lotion you use?”

Pandareos III of Mervay
Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica
And so the Prince followed the handmaiden to where his room would be located, hoping to finally have a well deserved shower and send that quick message quickly.
His eyes were focused in his surrundings before returning to Miss Sahrar, he wouldn't deny she was beautiful and indeed she was, but it was more of an observation than anything else, plus he was more focused on one of the frescoes, 'The Handmaiden's Fresco'. Perhaps that might be the reason why she led him through the more scenic route, but hey, he wasn't to complain; plus it certainly was interesting for sure and he did enjoyed it if that winded down the whole meeting and calmed him down.

Of course it all ended the moment they made it to the visitors quarters; The Arballayl Quarters. It was kind of an massive, a living room that that united all rooms, his 'servants' would surely stay around here because of obvious reasons; he hoped that his clothes were on his room so he could change for the dinner. Speaking of his room.
While the other doors led to the smaller rooms, two led to what he supposed was his room and the bathroom. Well, now he could finally rest for a while and make that message as quick as possible. He glanced at the envelope with the passwords and list of channels in the TV before sighing, looking at the handmaiden with a smile he decided to ask a few questions.

"Had my servants been advised where I would be staying so I'm sure that my clothes are in my bedroom?" That was a quick thing to make sure to ask since he wouldn't want to appear with the same clothes when the dinner happens, even if that was hours away. At that moment he decided to finally take out his PDA and begun his message.

Agustinas Florenze Da Mervay
Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond
She heard Aurelia swallow and if she had to be honest, she wasn't expecting Aurelia to be so surprised that she was going all the way with this. Well, like the old say; fortune favors the bold; and Agus was indeed being brave and bold with this. Her trust in Aurelia was absolute and knew she would take care of her just like she would repay the favour to the Princess.
She then had Aurelia sitting above her, she felt her hands on her shoulders and her fingers in her collarbone; all the while she felt the caressing of her skin and the Princess looking at her hair. As soon as she heard the compliment, she giggled while an slight blush followed.

"Why thank you." She said with an smile on her face. "I guess I should say the same to you, your hands are certainly smooth." The Queen decided to give back a compliment of her own before answering her friend.

"As for that... Let's just say that it comes natural."

It took her a few moments to think of it, to Jessica it was asking a lot, yet; she understood Satou's point completely, hearing each and every single word she said with that soft voice of hers, no wonder her daughter fell in love with her, always so caring and kind; it made her proud to have her as her daughter in law.
As soon as she was finished, Tess leaned to her mother and took her hand, their eyes meeting with a caring and warm expression as she spoke.

"Mom, it's ok. Please trust in my wife when she says that she's going to help me during these times, as much as I will help her with hers..." There was an unspoken plead of her to trust their word, it was they were asking. Silence filled the room for a few minutes, before she relented, a heavy sigh on her expression.

"Alright; You two can stay in AHSCA, just promise me that you two will come to Mervay for late july then." Tess smiled kindly at those words while muttering a thank you in the process.

"You can count on that, besides, I want to show Satou other places back at home that she might love." She giggled while looking at her wife lovingly. "Isn't that right Sweetie?"

by **Astares Amauricanum** » Thu Aug 05, 2021 2:16 pm

"Indeed." simply replies Alima to Mola's last sentence. "Regarding your backstory, while it is not perfect, it will have to do for the mission. I can not think of anything else. You did a very good job on this one, congratulations." says the ACI agent with a large smile.

"Now, will you contact them now, or do you think of anything else to add to your backstory that I should be aware of? "

by **Cartoonia** » Sat Aug 07, 2021 11:34 pm

Aurora Ducal Palace

Jellal is escorted inside the Duchess’ office. He bows in respect and greetings.

“Your Royal Highness, it is a pleasure and an honor to be speaking with you”. Jellal sits down and listens to what she has to say. It seemed that everything was starting to die down. Good thing too. It would seem that Cartoonia would not have to do too much in this situation. However, there were a couple of things on behalf of Cartoonia.

“It would seem that things are starting to die down a bit. I know that there are many nations that would be interested in this… shall I say, mess. There are a few things that His Excellency wishes to discuss that wasn’t mentioned in his letters”. He pauses, getting up for a bit.

“Before I discuss what His Excellency wishes, I want to share some comforting words to you. The media might be looking at you for some… shall we say, juicy stories. But I too have my fair share of gossip. My brother Seigrain, he was a provincial governor years ago, tried to maintain power. He was imprisoned, but I was somehow dragged into this mess. It’s okay though, the media found something else to chew on and everything was forgotten, partially.

The point is, I am sure this media coverage will come to pass. I have experienced this during my 40 years in the civil service. I just want you to feel comfort knowing that”.

The Supreme Leader’s Estate. Gallagher, Mainland Province, Cartoonia.

Another busy evening for Supreme Leader Jimmy Kudo. With all of the international controversy going on, there were more things to do. From letters, the ambassador’s meeting, to things after this all dies down including a state visit from Her Royal Highness herself. Not only that, but legislation and decisions whether or not to reopen Cartoonia for international tourism were happening with about 99.5% of the Cartoon population fully vaccinated. Then there was the observation of Crossoveria’s first official election which may determine the relationship between Cartoonia and Crossoveria yet again in a short amount of time. The office was bursting with newspapers and paperwork. Just another regular day for the head of state. Rachel was helping him out, sorting through finished paperwork. It was a long afternoon, but Jimmy gave a sigh of relief when there was one more thing to answer to. It was a letter. He opened the letter and to his surprise, it was from the Sultanate of Kyrenaia, a special ambassador nonetheless.

“That’s interesting” Rachel observes. “A letter from Kyrenaia?”

“I’m just as surprised as you are Rachel. It is something I don’t understand”. He takes a look over the letter in question. What he finds written was absolutely shocking, but ultimately was coming.

“This is interesting,” Jimmy says before looking through the file cabinet on previous crimes processed by the Department of Justice.

“What is it?”

“You remember back in 2016 when a group of college students from the PC Delta Fraternity at the University of Gallagher defaced a statue of Gusippee Verdi in front of the Gallagher Opera House calling him a fascist nationalist and spraypainting the pedestal to look like blood?”

“Of course, we were planning to watch a performance of Nabucco the day that happened. I don’t know why they would call him a fascist nationalist though?”. Jimmy finds the case that was labeled solved, showing the mugshots of the criminals.

“This is them, The International Liberal Liberation Front. These students were arrested and taken to both prison and rehabilitation. PC Gallagher, PC Beach City, PC Magnolia, and PC East City. All of these young people are being brainwashed by the American News Media, thinking that all countries should act like millennials like themselves. They are turning to petty crimes like defacement and disturbing the peace. But, heaven knows what would happen if they continue on”. A worried Jimmy brings out stationary quickly penning down a letter.

“I am sure that this organization is not too harmful. They are only young adults, they probably can’t use any weapons”.

“That would make sense, they have always protested against free ownership”.

“I’ll write a letter to their Special Ambassador. I will then gather the secretaries of both Foreign Affairs, Justice, and The Interior, as well as the Chancellor. I am sure they will also provide some guidance”.

“I’ll turn in for tonight. I’ll see you in bed later Jimmy”. She gives him a loving kiss on the forehead as she leaves.

by **AHSCA** » Sun Aug 15, 2021 10:20 am

"Yes very much so! I'm looking forward to seeing more of Mervay but for now, thank you for trusting me. I promise you, Tess will be safe and sound with me. And in good time we'll be in Mervay again." Still Satou could feel where her mother-in-law was coming from, no doubt if Satou's mother was still alive she'd for sure be close with her. But she made a promise and she'd keep it, she'd seen Tess through hurricanes and monsoonal storms, surely she could see her through this little diplomatic incident. "And, this may sound a bit naive of me, but I have faith our Duchess will do the right thing in the end and it will all resolve."

"Thank you. As soon as we're done here, Mago and I will work over the finer details and put in our request. I'll have any one of our Knights contact you periodically for a status update, in the meantime that's all we have to say. If you have anything more, now is the time. Beyond that, thank you for reaching out, this is valuable and we'll make good use of it, we promise you that."

Marcella gave a slight smile, well it was nice to hear something positive for a change. "Thank you, I trust you will be right and this will pass in time. Our positions are not easy and we're always held up under a microscope."

by **Astares Amauricanum** » Sun Aug 15, 2021 2:08 pm

"If you don't mind, I'd like to stay for a while to see how you handle those finer details. This is yoir first operation remember, so it's better to have the background look of a veteran, don't you think?" asks Alima with a pleasant smile, but with a look in her eyes that does not call for a negative answer from the two Shadow Knights.

by **Kyrenaia** » Sat Aug 21, 2021 4:50 am

Mervay wrote:Pandareos III of Mervay
Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica
And so the Prince followed the handmaiden to where his room would be located, hoping to finally have a well deserved shower and send that quick message quickly.
His eyes were focused in his surrundings before returning to Miss Sahrar, he wouldn't deny she was beautiful and indeed she was, but it was more of an observation than anything else, plus he was more focused on one of the frescoes, 'The Handmaiden's Fresco'. Perhaps that might be the reason why she led him through the more scenic route, but hey, he wasn't to complain; plus it certainly was interesting for sure and he did enjoyed it if that winded down the whole meeting and calmed him down.

Of course it all ended the moment they made it to the visitors quarters; The Arballayl Quarters. It was kind of an massive, a living room that that united all rooms, his 'servants' would surely stay around here because of obvious reasons; he hoped that his clothes were on his room so he could change for the dinner. Speaking of his room.
While the other doors led to the smaller rooms, two led to what he supposed was his room and the bathroom. Well, now he could finally rest for a while and make that message as quick as possible. He glanced at the envelope with the passwords and list of channels in the TV before sighing, looking at the handmaiden with a smile he decided to ask a few questions.

"Had my servants been advised where I would be staying so I'm sure that my clothes are in my bedroom?" That was a quick thing to make sure to ask since he wouldn't want to appear with the same clothes when the dinner happens, even if that was hours away. At that moment he decided to finally take out his PDA and begun his message.

[Top Secret]
Protected Communication
Code: Ultra-December
Subject: Negotiations
Codename: Idol
Recipients: Angel, Lumiere, Wonder, Mage

Meeting successful. The Sultanate will be present in the summit and has accepted our mediation. Inform immediately of the summit location and to representatives in Aurora. The Sultanate requested an agreement of close cooperation between the intelligence communities of both nations. Should it be accepted, Send Experts to detail the terms.

Note: Prince Damir and Prince Illia will lead the delegation from The Sultanate

Agustinas Florenze Da Mervay
Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond
She heard Aurelia swallow and if she had to be honest, she wasn't expecting Aurelia to be so surprised that she was going all the way with this. Well, like the old say; fortune favors the bold; and Agus was indeed being brave and bold with this. Her trust in Aurelia was absolute and knew she would take care of her just like she would repay the favour to the Princess.
She then had Aurelia sitting above her, she felt her hands on her shoulders and her fingers in her collarbone; all the while she felt the caressing of her skin and the Princess looking at her hair. As soon as she heard the compliment, she giggled while an slight blush followed.

"Why thank you." She said with an smile on her face. "I guess I should say the same to you, your hands are certainly smooth." The Queen decided to give back a compliment of her own before answering her friend.

"As for that... Let's just say that it comes natural."

[...]

[Top Secret]
Protected Communication
Code: Ultra-December
Subject: Location
Codename: Mage
Recipients: Angel, Lumiere, Wonder, Idol

Message Recived and Acknowledged. To be held in London. Mediation to happen in a week time to increase the security over the area. Confirmation Acknowledged. Waiting for Islander Confirmation. Request Accepted. Details to be arranged by Defence and National Security Ministry.

Note: Quote modified by removal of spoiler-tags.

Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica.
Marla Sahrar of the Tribe of Wicklow.
"Yes, Sir, they have been informed.", I replied with a small smile. We had planned ahead. "They will be staying in the adjacent rooms."
Then I kept my trap shut until he had finished his message, staying away - I did not want to give the impression that I was spying on his messages, especially not his personal correspondence (oh, the irony, that would soon rear its head) and even less on government correspondence.
Once he was finished, I rose.
"Shall prepare refreshments for you and your servants?", I asked.

Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond.
Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
I hummed in acknowledgement.
"I have a body lotion of thyme and rosemary.", I told her, working my way down her back. "It helps after archery practice or after motorcycle maintenance... and it smells nice, too."
With the neck and shoulders taken care of, I raised my hands and put them on her beautiful, soft skin a smidgen above Agus's rear end (we'll take care of you in a moment), and worked my way up, along her spine, towards the shoulders, where the hands fanned out and moved back along her sides.
I would do that for a few rounds, then start working muscles along her spine.

Cartoonia wrote:
The Office of The Supreme Leader
7/27/2021

FOR PRIVATE EYES ONLY

Dear Mr. Damir ibn-Razia,
Rajalkim, Special Ambassador of the Sultanate.

I have received your urgent letter of concern and as the head of state and emperor of the Cartoon Empire, I want to assure you that it seems there is nothing too much to worry about. We have dealt something like this with this group, The International Liberal Liberation Front. The worst that has happened was defacing of a monument of a musical figure, writing things calling out derogatory terms (i.e. Nationalist, Fascist, etc.). We were able to arrest the members who were responsible and were able to sentence them to prison and rehabilitation, but God knows what could happen if they become more restless.

As I write to you, the only thing I know about this organization is that they will push their agenda, but I am not sure HOW dangerous they can really be. With great concern, I would say that my advice would be to be on the alert with flights coming from Cartoonia for all persons. If you are able to catch someone who works for this P.C. Prince if they enter your country, we suggest that your authorities put him under custody until we are able to identify and fly them back.

In short, there is not much to be too worried about, but you should watch out. Our relations might be in a most precarious position, but heaven forbid its this organization that destroys any relation to begin with.

Sincerely,
Supreme Leader Jimmy Kudo

To: His Excellency, Jimmy Kudo, Supreme Leader of Cartoonia.

Diplomatic Correspondence.
NOT to be released.

Your Excellency,
in the name of the Sultanate, I thank You for Your quick response. It heightens my spirits to know, that we might be at odds with Cartoonia at the moment, but that we are not enemies.
Currently, all incoming flights are placed under a three-day-quarantine due to COVID-19, so it should be of any major issue to separate any eventual ILLF-members from legitimate travelers. If they stick to their 'usual' programme of defacing public monuments, then we don't need to worry too much, but, indeed, better be safe and sorry. No one needs a second Al'Arz-Attack.

Again, I thank You, Your Excellency, and may the Lioness protect Cartoonia.

I remain respectfully yours,
Damir ibn-Razia,
Rajalkim, Special Ambassador of the Sultanate.

To: Senator Setsuko Fujihara, AHSCACP.
From: Khalid Abn, Front for the Liberation of Kyrenaian Workers and Democracy in the Five Deserts.

Dear Senator Fujihara,
in the interest of full transparancy, I feel obliged to acknowledge your letter as being from a private person - likewise, I must inform you, that I did not write to you as a private person, but as a leading member of the Front for the Liberation of Kyrenaian Workers and Democracy in the Five Deserts.

Regardless of that, I would greatly appreciate getting in touch with your party leader and to see, if we can't pool ressources and talk about methods. The chains of oppression have dangled for too long and we need to break them, one way or the other, but we can only do that together.
How exactly our respective countries will be organized once the Revolution has come, that is for then to decide.

I wish you the best of luck in your endeavour,
Khalid Abn,
Front for the Liberation of Kyrenaian Workers and Democracy in the Five Deserts.

by **Mervay** » Sat Aug 28, 2021 2:15 am

"I hope so Satou, I hope so..." 'Even if fear for the consequences that will follow this debacle if handled poorly' She added to herself in thought, not wanting to voice her thoughts of the fact that Marcella's only saving graces so far had been the active diplomatic support from the Astarians, the mediation offer and her not giving into countering the circus the media was doing on her, the public trial was already happening, and so far it's inconclusive.
Of course her PDA caught something as she felt it vibrate, she just took it out of her purse to see and... Her face let a relieved sigh. Finally.

"Finally..." She said to herself, albeit raising a few eyebrows from her daughter in turn.

"What is it mom? Do we finally have some good news?" Tess asked curiously, if so, hallelujah.

"The Sultanate accepted the mediation, finally something that we can begin to end this." She smiled grateful before getting up, looking at her daughter and then at Satou. "I'm afraid I cannot stay any longer with this development and as such, I must be on my way to the Kitan to book a room and rest."

"You want me to go with you?" She asked, only to be met with a shook from her head.

"That won't be necessary, I will go along with your wife tho, considering we are both going to the same destination. Would that be ok Satou?"

Pandareos III of Mervay
Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica
"Perfect." He shot a smile at the handmaiden before returning to his correspondence, it took a few minutes since it had to be checked in case and then he finally sighed; relieved that one thing was out of the list.
He put his PDA back onto his pocket before looking at Marla. An small smile on his lips.

"Please do, albeit not for me." The Prince answered, he wasn't up to refreshments yet. "Perhaps after relaxing in the Large Hammam I will have a few refreshments." It would do him god to rest and relax entirely that's for sure, and after everything; he did needed a break now that the agreement was standing.

Agustinas Florenze Da Mervay
Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond
"Perhaps I should borrow some of it to try it out then." She smiled gently at that before she felt herself relaxed and lost to the pleasure and enjoyment of the massage.
Aurelia was a complete expert, perhaps master on this and it showed. For Agus, this was by all means an complete victory as she could let her mind ease of this whole debacle and focus on herself; she had to say, Aurelia's hands were very soft and her touch was completely gentle, caring, she loved it.

"Have they ever told you how good are you giving massages?"

by **Kyrenaia** » Sat Aug 28, 2021 1:37 pm

Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica.
Marla Sahrar of the Tribe of Wicklow.
I nodded.
"So it shall be done.", I said and motioned for another Handmaiden to take care of Pandereos' servants and their refreshments. If he wanted to visit the Large Hammam, there was one thing for me to do: "If you would please follow me? I will show you the way."
The way was not complicated: From the Arballayl Quarters, one took a right and down the hallway, until it intersected with the Stable Gardens Hallway. There, one turned right, into the Warrior Maiden's Hallway, to the left and down the stairs - and one stood in front of the changing rooms.
He would not have the Large Hammam for himself, though, that was for certain...

Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond.
Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
I smiled and blushed at the compliment.
"Some did.", I said as I continued working on the muscles along her spine. "I learned my first grips on my Father, actually. He always has stiff shoulders from sitting at the desk all day so I read up on massages to make it a bit more bearable for him. I now provide massages of the shoulders whenever I am around to him, my stepmom, my Aunt, my Uncle and a few other people." I giggled at a memory. "I even once gave a massage to the former Grand Vizier al-Zahir - well, back then he was the Grand Vizier. He was quite relaxed afterwards."
I leaned down and whispered into Agus' ear.
"Luckily, there wasn't much left to do that day."

by **AHSCA** » Sat Aug 28, 2021 2:09 pm

Hard to say where her mother-in-law stood on this matter, Satou though had every bit of confidence that the Duchess Villa would see things through successfully and things would settle down. After all, everyone is prone to a slip up. But some extra good news came over that a mediation had been agreed to, "Ah that is great news! See I have faith! Nothing wrong with caution but I still have faith it will work out in the end. But I am sad you won't be able to stay with us much longer. Even with what brought you here, seeing you today was a lovely surprise. I had intended to stay behind but I suppose I should let Manager know things are okay here before taking the rest of the day. I would be delighted to walk with you back there!"

Astares Amauricanum wrote:"If you don't mind, I'd like to stay for a while to see how you handle those finer details. This is yoir first operation remember, so it's better to have the background look of a veteran, don't you think?" asks Alima with a pleasant smile, but with a look in her eyes that does not call for a negative answer from the two Shadow Knights.

"Yes, of course, your input is valued here. Mago."

"Mmmhm" Mago nodded in a firm agreement as she quickly excavated some paper, a few brouchers, maps and other papers collected by Mola "Lucky my pack rat tendencies are finally paying off. When I was stationed in Lamoni as apart of my Royal Naval service, I took my chances to see some of their botanical gardens and museums. Being into plants and flowers isn't just a cover, I really am. That, Miss Alima will be my key."

Writing down basic information that could be found on every pamphlet which included general information; phone numbers, street addresses, corresponding branch locations if any, hours of operation, information on general employment of volunteer service. Whatever wasn't listed she could call and get the needed information which she did over the course of a few hours going by.

"So I speak with a Mister Watson about that, I see, thank you very much, I'll give him a call tomorrow, I appreciate it." Hanging up that was the last one. Now came a crafty resume, with all the places she could work at for employment or volunteering work. A separate reference sheet was drawn up just in case they wanted one but for now she was hoping to float on her resume alone, otherwise it would take a bit of phone tag to get through.

"Well, so far, what do you think? Anything else I should consider?"

News reached Marcella in good time that the Sultanate too agreed to a mediation, and Marcella was pleased with that. "All right, then plans are in motion." She said to Noir

"Yes, Milady. And Milady, given the circumstances and time..."

"I already plan on flying there, you don't have to worry."

"Yes, Milady, I knew you would agree to that but I should mention the Imperium has graciously offered you to piggyback with them. I can't say for certain what kind of transport they'll be taking but it might look classier than arriving on a military transport."

That is true, even with Marcella first visited the Sultanate, she flew in on a military transit plane instead of a nice looking jet or something. What can you say, she was more at home on the sea but this was hardly the time to take a long sail to somewhere else. Sadly even in government. when you needed to get somewhere fast, you had to rely on the military in AHSCA, beyond that it was a always a slow steady march somewhere.

"I agree. Optics are everything. Go make any further arrangements needed for the summit, I'll write myself to make the request."

"As you wish." Noir bowed a little and left Marcella to do her thing.

To: Adrean and Anna
FROM: DUCHESS MARCELLA VILLA
CONFIDENTIAL Please use discretion when making this information public

Milord and Lady,

Forgive the abruptness of my message to you, only wish to request a chance to take you on an offer of sharing a flight into Mervay for our mediation with the Sultanate. I shall arrive in the Imperium as soon as possible if you agree.

Until then,
Marcella

To:Khalid Abn, Front for the Liberation of Kyrenaian Workers and Democracy in the Five Deserts.
From: Uta Uehara, Chairman of the AHSCA Communist Party
CC: Senator Setsuko Fujihara

Dear Comrade,

Your letter was forwarded to me by our sitting senator Comrade Fujihara, including her own response to you. Thank you for writing to us and reaching out, as we're hoping to (the rest is scratched out) well you know the rest already no sense in repeating the rallying cry. Of course while each of our party members have their own ideas, our party always stands on a peaceful transition of power to the people. While we feel the old Greater Dienstadian powers have largely moved on from their interest in the UIS, we at the same time do not wish to be hasty on that front and cause another invitation to invasion.

Whatever you can offer us, we'd be grateful. Our numbers are small but growing and in time more will become sympathetic to our causes. Only a shame AHSCA hasn't experience a major hurricane all season. I know it sounds callous but suffering is the quickest way to spur people to action, just as the war spurred us to form a unified nation two decades ago at some point some catalyst will certainly do the same to remove the Monarchy on this nation. I only wish I had been old enough to fight back then but now I'm fighting now.

Long Live the Workers
Long Live the People
Long Live the Struggle

by **Mervay** » Wed Sep 01, 2021 1:18 am

Pandareos III of Mervay
Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica
And so he followed her onto the Large Hammam where he could finally take his rest before the dinner, for him this certainly was a nice opportunity to take a look at the rest of the palace as he found it beautiful; it certainly was a wonderful place.
The Prince was all glad that he would have a break from the whole diplomatic affairs, he could only imagine the work waiting to him back at home at the hospital. The moment they stood in front of the changing rooms, the prince looked at his handmaiden for the duration of his stay with a kind smile.

"I appreciate your directions, if it weren't for you I would had been lost." He put a hand on his back as he let out a chuckle as he said that, it was the first time he visited after all. "If you want to join me to take a break or something -unless you handmaidens have another hammam for yourselves-, then I won't mind. If not, then guess this is where we part ways for the time being." He nodded slightly.

Agustinas Florenze Da Mervay
Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond
So that's a lot of people, and it also explained things, it was nice to hear that she also learned it to help her father with his stress on the shoulders and from there, well; the rest is history.
She blushed scarlet once again as the princess whispered to her ear, her voice was angelical and her touch was as electrifying as well.

"I-I see..." She whispered a bit flustered, of all times, it had to be now... She better pray for god or solaria to help her. She was feeling more and more relaxed as it went, it was certainly working.

"When you come back I'll have something ready for you then! And perhaps we should also go to the hot springs." Tess smiled cheerfully at her wife before looking at her mother. "Promise to drop by after you send the message to the Duchess alright?"

Her mother only smiled kindly before hugging her daughter.

"I will try to, might bring Ari with me as well then; you two have a lot to catch up." They both giggled before the heiress to the Dileva Group nodded with an warm smile, her mother's arms leaving her before looking at Satou. "We should better get going, don't want to make your manager wait right?"

by **Astares Amauricanum** » Wed Sep 01, 2021 2:47 pm

Utica

"Very good, very good Mola." says Alima as she pats lightly the ASHCAian woman on the back. "This is way better than I thought. The only thing now is to go there and apply for the job, and see if you pass.
Do you plan to go there now, or later?" asks the ACI officer.

Silver Palace
Columbia District
As Adrean and Anna go through their usual routine of soldier's training / head of state work, they receive a message from Marcella asking them if they can take a flight together to Mervay, as the Imperial Couple offered to the Duchess a few days ago in one of their reply.
Without hesitation, they reply the following:

From:
Keisaer Adrean Blachkor
Keisaerina Anna Blachkor

To:
Duchess Marcella Villa

Subject:
Flight to Mervay

Encryption: Maximum

Dear Marcella,
you do not have to apologize, the situation we are all currently in forces us to be swift and rapid.

Anyway, you are very welcome to fly to Mervay with us, we will gladly welcome you aboard Aquila Force One. This plane will be very comfortable for your staff and you, to take a good rest and prepare accordingly to the negotiations. Just to tell you beforehand, our Secretary of State Michael Foxter will come with us on this trip.

However, we have to remind you something: by doing this, we will finally show to everyone that indeed, the Imperium is backing the United Island States. Everyone who had doubts, Kyrenaia and Mervay included, will be confirmed in their suspicions. We all know this had to come out at one point eventually, but we hoped it would have come the latest time possible.
Which means only one thing: they will scrutinize our every move even more, and we will have to even be more careful in consequence.

This does not change at all our support of your nation. We just wanted to make this clear once and for all.
Anyway, come down over here as soon as you can, and we will be on our way to Mervay.

Regards
Adrean
Anna.

by **Kyrenaia** » Wed Sep 08, 2021 2:10 am

To: Uta Uehara, Chairman of the AHSCA Communist Party.
CC: Senator Setsuko Fujihara, AHSCACP.
From: Khalid Abn, Front for the Liberation of Kyrenaian Workers and Democracy in the Five Deserts.

Dear Chairman,
it is a great pleasure to hear from you personally. Please relay my gratitude to the good Madame Senator.

While I agree, that a peaceful transition of power from the bourgeoisie and their monarchic allies is always preferable to the alternative, there are times, when the struggle for the liberation of the workers and farmers must be led with the strength of arms - however, that time has not come and I hope, beyond all hope, that this time will never come, neither in the UIS nor in Kyrenaia.
So, let us speak about how we can help you in your peaceful struggle.
First of all, we exist. The knowledge, that there is another communist movement fighting the bourgeoisie and their monarchic allies should give your Party a little morale boost.
Second, we can help you logistically. We have transport capacities and, more importantly, the means to send out our message through more then parliamentary speeches. From printing presses to computers, from professional web designers to marketing specialists, we have it all what you might need to bring your message out onto the streets. We have press specialists at our disposal, which can make a sack of rice falling over in the remotest village of the UIS appear worse then the worst hurricane in the history of the UIS.
Third, we can help you ideologically. Currently, you yourself admit, that the only unifying things of your party are the objective of removing the Duchess and all she stands for as well as the fact, that you are always pushed into the left corner. We can change that. The Revolution will only be successful and peaceful if all pull on the same rope to drag the wagon out of the mud. We have people, who can bring them all in line with the ideals you want to see.

The great powers of the world, however, are currently occupied with the eternal play of the dwarf with backup against the giant with friends, so now is our ideal time, while no one is looking, to get our message across and into the hearts and minds of your people. Now might not be the time for the revolution itself, but it is time for laying the groundworks.

I wish you the best of luck in your endeavour,
Khalid Abn,
Front for the Liberation of Kyrenaian Workers and Democracy in the Five Deserts.

Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica.
Marla Sahrar of the Tribe of Wicklow.
I smiled and bowed, grateful for the compliment and offer. That was, what we Handmaidens assigned to guests were for: Making sure, that they didn't get lost in the labyrinth that is the Palace of the Azure Hall.
"If you do not mind, I will take you up on the offer. And, if you wish, I might not be a tellak, but I do know a few massage grips.", I offered and motioned to the male changing room. "Please, go ahead."
While the staff had their own Hammam, we were also free to use the Small and the Large Hammam, especially on invitation. It was an old rule, that we could use them during our breaks so that if a guest or the Sultan was in, he wouldn't be alone unless he requested it.
The changing rooms looked similar, driven into the rock, the floor was of a smooth blue stone and the shelves were driven into the rock. there were baskets with blue silken towels in them, which were supposed to be the resting place for the clothes. The towel would be the companion of the bather, in case he or she was not that self confident.
I will spare you a description of me undressing.
From the changing rooms, it went directly into the Cold Room, dominated by three large support columns holding the ceiling and the large pool they stood in. It was a hip-deep pool of hot water, in contrast to the cold air in the room and the cold floor.
The water came from a number of small rivulets springing from fountains in the wall, which were shaped like the heads of various animals of the Sultanate and its Colonial Empire (in some cases former colonial Empire).
However, when Pandereos and I entered, we were not alone. Sitting on the edge of the pool was the form of Shirin Bayd, the Personal Handmaiden of Prince Mahmut ibn-Idris, and Tara Harir, Personal Handmaiden to Prince Damir ibn-Razia.
The two Princes, as well as Damir's wife Princess Yasmin bint-Atif, were sitting in the water nearby. Between the two men, there was a Fidchell Board, the two men engrossed in their board game from the Free Lands. Yasmin relaxed, while there was an Oud in Shirin's hands, the woman playing soft beats to create a relaxing atmosphere.

Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond.
Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
It was certainly working to relax Agus.
She blushed and was decidedly flustered, which was not completely my aim, but I took it as I worked her back and finished up with it. She had given me permission, so I moved on to her rear end. Adjusting my position slightly, I began massaging her butt.
Now, before you all get your heads into the gutter, there are actual, medical benefits to it: The glutes are among the largest muscles in the body and them functioning properly is important for posture. If they don't they can cause pain and lead to a smaller range of motion. Boosting circulation via massage and stretching the muscle either alleviated, cured or prevented such issues.
And so I began to work on Agus' stern, smiling.
Medical benefits, Aurelia, not fun., I reminded myself.

by **Mervay** » Sun Sep 12, 2021 11:47 pm

Kyrenaia wrote:Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica.
Marla Sahrar of the Tribe of Wicklow.
I smiled and bowed, grateful for the compliment and offer. That was, what we Handmaidens assigned to guests were for: Making sure, that they didn't get lost in the labyrinth that is the Palace of the Azure Hall.
"If you do not mind, I will take you up on the offer. And, if you wish, I might not be a tellak, but I do know a few massage grips.", I offered and motioned to the male changing room. "Please, go ahead."
While the staff had their own Hammam, we were also free to use the Small and the Large Hammam, especially on invitation. It was an old rule, that we could use them during our breaks so that if a guest or the Sultan was in, he wouldn't be alone unless he requested it.
The changing rooms looked similar, driven into the rock, the floor was of a smooth blue stone and the shelves were driven into the rock. there were baskets with blue silken towels in them, which were supposed to be the resting place for the clothes. The towel would be the companion of the bather, in case he or she was not that self confident.
I will spare you a description of me undressing.
From the changing rooms, it went directly into the Cold Room, dominated by three large support columns holding the ceiling and the large pool they stood in. It was a hip-deep pool of hot water, in contrast to the cold air in the room and the cold floor.
The water came from a number of small rivulets springing from fountains in the wall, which were shaped like the heads of various animals of the Sultanate and its Colonial Empire (in some cases former colonial Empire).
However, when Pandereos and I entered, we were not alone. Sitting on the edge of the pool was the form of Shirin Bayd, the Personal Handmaiden of Prince Mahmut ibn-Idris, and Tara Harir, Personal Handmaiden to Prince Damir ibn-Razia.
The two Princes, as well as Damir's wife Princess Yasmin bint-Atif, were sitting in the water nearby. Between the two men, there was a Fidchell Board, the two men engrossed in their board game from the Free Lands. Yasmin relaxed, while there was an Oud in Shirin's hands, the woman playing soft beats to create a relaxing atmosphere.

Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond.
Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
It was certainly working to relax Agus.
She blushed and was decidedly flustered, which was not completely my aim, but I took it as I worked her back and finished up with it. She had given me permission, so I moved on to her rear end. Adjusting my position slightly, I began massaging her butt.
Now, before you all get your heads into the gutter, there are actual, medical benefits to it: The glutes are among the largest muscles in the body and them functioning properly is important for posture. If they don't they can cause pain and lead to a smaller range of motion. Boosting circulation via massage and stretching the muscle either alleviated, cured or prevented such issues.
And so I began to work on Agus' stern, smiling.
Medical benefits, Aurelia, not fun., I reminded myself.

Pandareos III of Mervay
Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica
He smiled warmly at seeing that she took his offer, it would be nice for everyone involved and well, she could also make use of the break as well. Chuckling, the prince looked at the handmaiden and smiled.

"Well. I see you on the other side then." And so he went into the male changing room; which he had to say, also found charming. Must be because of the whole architecture this place is bulit in. He got undressed step by step and let everything tidied in the basket, not like he would use the same clothes for dinner, but he had both the habit and the fact he was a guest, so he had to be respectful.
After a few minutes, Pandareos emerged from the changing room with the blue silken towel left at the baskets; he noticed that at the sametime Marla emerged from it as well, and he smiled at her before returning to look at the place. And while the architecture was certainly wonderful, that didn't caught his eye; instead, the people present did.

Prince Damir ibn-Razia, father of one of the protagonists of this scandal and De Facto Ilkhan of Utica, alongside experimented diplomat and one of the two chosen to be in London for the mediation, alongside him; Prince Mahmut ibn-Idris; possible heir to the Ilkhanate of Sarepta and junior ambassador. He had to admit it, but he really looks similiar to Prince Damir when young, even if he isn't related in any way that he knows. Another thing he remembered was how the young prince was involved in an romantic triangle (Or so the press tried to sell it) between Princess Gisella Villa and Miss Soraya Geal, god or solaria only knows if that will return back after recent issues on his end.
His eyes wandered to the other people present, the handmaidens of the two Princes and Prince Damir's wife; Princess Yasmin bunt-Atif. The Princes busy on a game of Fidchell that meant they won't focus on their surrundings for a while unless something massive happened if they were well into the game, one of the handmaidens was with an oud, playing soft beats to creat an relaxing atmosphere. It made him want to add something to it, but Luciano knew better to not interrupt, not for now at least, still it made him wish he brought his guitar as well, but he wasn't going to when it was clearly an business travel mostly.

Still he decided to better relax now that the difficult part was over before picking up should any inconvinience appear out of nowhere. And so, he looked at the handmaiden besides him with that same kind smile of his.

"You can take a break if you want, it's not like we might go to the warm room in a while I guess." Plus, better make the most of the cold room before he had to go to the warm and hot rooms, as while relaxing and helpful; he came out of Utica's summer and while he's used to the summer season; better make a little of the cold room.

Agustinas Florenze Da Mervay
Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond
The massage was certainly doing a massive effect on her, after all; it seemed like if Agus was becoming more loose as evidently showed by her reactions.
And while a good thing it was for her health and herself; it also made her... Flustered. More than she always was that is, not only that; but, it also made her more comfortable to tell to Aurelia that unspoken remark she did earlier of the being kind of alone. After, she didn't just heard of it of the woman herself during the times they spent in Utica last year, nor in her yacht's moored in Directus during the ball and the carnival back in february, but she did had a grip of her from the files she readed on her in preparation to the state visit. The Princess letting it out enough for her to know and that gave her enough to understand it well. But... It wasn't the moment; so The Queen just left it for later after they leaved the Hammam. And the fact she could feel the Princess cheeks rising red.

"Ehh... Is everything ok??"

by **AHSCA** » Mon Sep 13, 2021 6:12 pm

Mervay wrote:"When you come back I'll have something ready for you then! And perhaps we should also go to the hot springs." Tess smiled cheerfully at her wife before looking at her mother. "Promise to drop by after you send the message to the Duchess alright?"

Her mother only smiled kindly before hugging her daughter.

"I will try to, might bring Ari with me as well then; you two have a lot to catch up." They both giggled before the heiress to the Dileva Group nodded with an warm smile, her mother's arms leaving her before looking at Satou. "We should better get going, don't want to make your manager wait right?"

Satou smiled "Of course of course that sounds fine. I will get going then, see you soon, Tessy" With that Satou and her mother-in-law headed on down to the Kitan, truly Satou felt greatful to have an understanding woman such as her, boy it did make her feel bad for the Duchess that the Sultana wasn't as understanding but oh well, it is what it is, in the end things will just have to work out and she had confidence they would. In all of Island History the Nanao family line has had some truly tumultuous women but in the end, things always seemed to work out for the best and this was a new era.

Ren, the friendly fox receptionist for the Inn and Baths was of course there to welcome Mrs. Dileva. "Good day, madam, I believe I have a reservation set for you, Dileva? Yes, you're room is all ready if you'd like to head up now, I can have Natsume show you. Oh Satou, how are things?"

"Think things have settled, where's Manager is she at the restaurant?"

"Yes, she's there right now if you want to go talk to her."

"Thank you and please take good care of my mother-in-law, if you'd please."

"Of course." Satou nodded a thank you and went off. Emerging from the back room with an arm full of fresh linens was Natsume, ready to show up the Lady Dileva if desired otherwise they were here for service anywhere else needed.

Satou talked over with mangaer "I understand completely, I'm glad she's feeling better but I do agree, you need time with her so take the day, okay?"

"Are you really sure?"

"I'm sure. She's important to you, family comes first here. We have more than enough coverage, if ti comes to it, I'll roll up my sleeves and get busy myself. Bout time this old fox does something." she smiled

"Ahaha, thank you manager. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good good, give her my best okay?"

"I will."

Utica

Mola looked at her watch and nodded "I believe there is time to make a stop in now, no time like the present and to be swift. After all, this is our chance to quickly make inroads and we cannot let it pass if we can help it. Mago, you know how to keep things taken care of here."

"Mhm." She nodded. Gathering up the papers she put together she was set, "Anything else you feel I need to be aware of before I go?"

TO: Keisaer Adrean Blachkor
Keisaerina Anna Blachkor

FROM: Marcella Villa

Encryption: MAX

Subject: RE:RE:Flight to Mervay

Dearest Blackors,

Thank you for the quick reply and understanding. I agree with your points here, our joint arrival will certainly reinforce the idea we're joined in a special alliance but at the same time, I'm certain they already well know. Given Aurelia has now put her personal feelings out there for the world to read about me, no doubt she's let other anything else I've talked about in what I assumed confidence. Well, that's fine, I've made my bed now, I intended to sleep in it. Then let me suggest in the time flight between The imperium and Mervay, we go over any details you feel prudent to make sure this goes smoothly.

I'll be bringing along my Foreign Officer too, Noir will do what she needs to make this an orderly procedure going forward. I also promise I will be better composed and not let my stupid temper get the better of me this time, I'm ready for this to be done with so I can be put at ease as can the rest of my citizens and of course yourselves and our other allies of whom I've dragged on into this mess.

I'll be on the next military flight up and should be on the ground by morning your local time, if all things go well. I shall look forward to seeing you.

My Best Regards,

Marcella

by **Kyrenaia** » Tue Sep 14, 2021 1:21 pm

Mervay wrote:Pandareos III of Mervay
Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica
He smiled warmly at seeing that she took his offer, it would be nice for everyone involved and well, she could also make use of the break as well. Chuckling, the prince looked at the handmaiden and smiled.

"Well. I see you on the other side then." And so he went into the male changing room; which he had to say, also found charming. Must be because of the whole architecture this place is bulit in. He got undressed step by step and let everything tidied in the basket, not like he would use the same clothes for dinner, but he had both the habit and the fact he was a guest, so he had to be respectful.
After a few minutes, Pandareos emerged from the changing room with the blue silken towel left at the baskets; he noticed that at the sametime Marla emerged from it as well, and he smiled at her before returning to look at the place. And while the architecture was certainly wonderful, that didn't caught his eye; instead, the people present did.

Prince Damir ibn-Razia, father of one of the protagonists of this scandal and De Facto Ilkhan of Utica, alongside experimented diplomat and one of the two chosen to be in London for the mediation, alongside him; Prince Mahmut ibn-Idris; possible heir to the Ilkhanate of Sarepta and junior ambassador. He had to admit it, but he really looks similiar to Prince Damir when young, even if he isn't related in any way that he knows. Another thing he remembered was how the young prince was involved in an romantic triangle (Or so the press tried to sell it) between Princess Gisella Villa and Miss Soraya Geal, god or solaria only knows if that will return back after recent issues on his end.
His eyes wandered to the other people present, the handmaidens of the two Princes and Prince Damir's wife; Princess Yasmin bunt-Atif. The Princes busy on a game of Fidchell that meant they won't focus on their surrundings for a while unless something massive happened if they were well into the game, one of the handmaidens was with an oud, playing soft beats to creat an relaxing atmosphere. It made him want to add something to it, but Luciano knew better to not interrupt, not for now at least, still it made him wish he brought his guitar as well, but he wasn't going to when it was clearly an business travel mostly.

Still he decided to better relax now that the difficult part was over before picking up should any inconvinience appear out of nowhere. And so, he looked at the handmaiden besides him with that same kind smile of his.

"You can take a break if you want, it's not like we might go to the warm room in a while I guess." Plus, better make the most of the cold room before he had to go to the warm and hot rooms, as while relaxing and helpful; he came out of Utica's summer and while he's used to the summer season; better make a little of the cold room.

Agustinas Florenze Da Mervay
Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond
The massage was certainly doing a massive effect on her, after all; it seemed like if Agus was becoming more loose as evidently showed by her reactions.
And while a good thing it was for her health and herself; it also made her... Flustered. More than she always was that is, not only that; but, it also made her more comfortable to tell to Aurelia that unspoken remark she did earlier of the being kind of alone. After, she didn't just heard of it of the woman herself during the times they spent in Utica last year, nor in her yacht's moored in Directus during the ball and the carnival back in february, but she did had a grip of her from the files she readed on her in preparation to the state visit. The Princess letting it out enough for her to know and that gave her enough to understand it well. But... It wasn't the moment; so The Queen just left it for later after they leaved the Hammam. And the fact she could feel the Princess cheeks rising red.

"Ehh... Is everything ok??"

Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica.
Marla Sahrar of the Tribe of Wicklow.
Pandereos came out of the changing rooms without the towel, which was not unusual, but not usual either. I doubted, that anyone would take offense, least of all any of the ladies present, myself included.
In any case, Pandereos allowed me to take a break, not that I wanted to do anything else and so I joined the side of my fellow Handmaidens - Shirin didn't miss a beat and Tara nodded at me as I sat down at their side.
I took a look around the room, just in the right moment to see Princess Yasmin rise, obviously having found something more interesting then her husband's and Mahmut's duel on the Board.
What she had in mind...?

Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica.
Princess Yasmin bint-Atif.
Allow me to enlighten you about that myself - I had in mind to entertain myself with the young man, who had just entered. No doubt his assigned Handmaiden had told him, that it would be rude to stare, so I forewent my towel as well, kissing my husband on his cheek.
He gave a grunt in acknowledgement. As bad as he was in chess, he had a working mind for Fidchell, which I couldn't wrap my head around in turn.
Anyway, I rose, water flowed down my form, and I left the pool. The stones were slightly slippery on wet feet, but if one had a mind for that, then there was only a little danger.
"Good afternoon.", I greeted the young Mervayan Prince with a smile, my blue eyes sparkled. I also wore nothing, which might confuse him, as he might notice the small bulge in my stomach. I was, however, not pregnant, I had given birth to a healthy child in March, this was just a bit of fat that I had accumulated during the time. More were to come, though. I continued: "Please, join me for a bit... is this your first time in a Hammam, Prince Pandereos?"

Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond.
Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
I was indeed blushing - I had little idea about the internal monologue Agus had, but she noticed it. I almost broke off my work on her posterior, but kept my hands moving.
"It's... well...", I began, then broke off, "...I am not sure how to say this, but... well... uhm..." Okay, Aurelia, this is not like you. Grow a bloody spine and tell her: "You have a nice butt."
It was as if an iceberg had walked up, reached into my brain and froze it solid. Only that my cheeks were hot enough to melt the iceberg.
"I mean, the glutes muscles are nicely developed and we already talked about the skin and... and...", I tried to explain myself hastily, then Aurelia.exe finally hung itself. I groaned. "That came out wrong, didn't it?"
It should be noted, that my hands were still on her posterior.

by **Brettenwald** » Wed Sep 15, 2021 9:50 am

The morning sunlight found its way into Penthouse 6 and cast a golden corona around the portion of Rohan's head that wasn't pressed into the pillow by his sleep.
"Hey, moon and stars."
Marco stroked his lover's cheek and gave him a small peck on the forehead, getting a blearily-opening grey eye and a dimpled half-smile in response as a blush crept over a face inches from his own, one that still made his heart sing after more than a year together.
"Hey yourself, your highness."
Rohan rolled over and scooted to his left, the better to lay his head on the bigger man's bare chest and get a hand run through raven hair.
"So. This is it, eh?"

This, the seemingly unremarkable if abnormally sunny (by the standards of Brettain weather in the summer) Saturday of July 31st, 2021, was indeed it. The culmination of eleven years' blood, sweat and tears for Marco himself and a year together with Rohan besides, and he was looking forward to it more than he'd ever looked forward to anything in his life.
"At long last." The prince stretched his arms and yawned. "How'd you sleep?"
Rohan gave him a mischievous grin. "Very well, once you let me."
"I don't remember hearing any complaints," Marco teased. "It was more of a breathless 'oh' kind of of night-"

A giggly, euphoric thwap in the face with a pillow dispatched that little embarrassment quite effectively.

Marco put an arm around the other man and pulled him closer on the couch a couple of hours later. Neither of them had overthought their outfits for a history-altering selfie, with the former in a navy blue three-piece suit with the jacket off and the collar unbuttoned for a rakish yet gentlemanly look and the latter in black chinos and a light pink button-down dress shirt. The prince practically slept in a suit and his boyfriend preferred to save flamboyant dress for the stage where he felt it belonged, so this was hardly unusual.
"Do I need to take my glasses off? Do you want me to adjust the blinds if the light's bad or anything?" Rohan was suddenly concerned.
"It's fine, babe. Three, two, one-"

Dear Internet,
I know the rumors have been flying thick and fast lately, and there are a few things I'd like to clear up. Yes, Rohan and I are dating. No, he's not the first. No, I'm not gay, I'm bisexual. I'm still into the fairer sex, so the line of succession need not worry anyone. There's nothing wrong with me, nobody made me like this but the gods, and it's just who I am. Simple as. I've known since I was sixteen but remained silent for personal reasons until now, and let me tell you it's been a long and hard eleven years of silence, heartache and self-loathing.
I'm done with that.
I'm done with fear.
I'm not lying anymore.
I'm not apologizing anymore.
I'm not going to hate myself anymore.
I'm not going to feel ashamed or dirty or like something's wrong with me anymore.
It's the best feeling in the world, and I pray that everyone in this country's LGBT community and the world's as well who can't live life as their true, beautiful selves gets to experience it sooner rather than later.

Know that you have a friend in a high place and that somebody out there cares.

Love,
Marco
#BraveEnough

Dear Princess Aurelia, Prince Damir, and Razia-Sultana,

I have to admit it came as quite the shock when my father told me of his- well, outsourcing seems like a cynical word, but reaching out to Your Highnesses and Majesty for advice, mostly due to the fact that he admitted to it in the first place since he is a proud and private man who keeps his cards close to his chest. I must also confess to some considerable degree of anger that he would think it acceptable to share one of my most closely guarded secrets with people whom I do not know representing a state with whom we have no formal diplomatic relationship, but that was merely in the heat of the moment. (I beg you not to take it personally, I have struggled with anger issues since adolescence and it is very rarely directed at anyone other than myself.) After a good night's sleep and my morning workout have done their part to ease my mind, I have to conclude that he did the best he could with the incomplete and skewed knowledge he had both as a man who grew up in a markedly different political and social climate with considerably more conservative views on sexuality than today and a man who has for better or worse lived the years of his life with a certain degree of detachment from the common man and the real world. Therefore, since your kind words will most likely have changed my life by the time this letter makes it to Utica I must thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I choose to believe that he would have said yes anyway but I'll not ask. I've never been in the habit of questioning good fortune, I've rolled the dice of fate a few times too many to make it a good idea. As far as the formalities of diplomacy are concerned the Crown has been making inquiries about membership in the Strategic and Economic Alliance, and despite the fact that the Sultanate is not a member of said organization I'm aware that your country has ties with nations which are, so perhaps third parties will end up drawing us closer. I look forward to the day I am able to thank at least one of you in person, and I wish you a peaceful and long-lasting resolution to your conflicts both personal and political with Duchess Villa.

Your Highnesses and Majesty, I remain sincerely,
Marco Cärrino, Crown Prince of Brettenwald

P.S. Princess Aurelia, I know Father hasn't filled you in on this yet, so there's context in the envelope as well. Rohan sends his regards to all three of you since he's almost as happy about this as I am.

Included in the envelope was a color printout of what would soon become known as the Instagram post that broke the Empire.

Kyrenaia wrote:
Dear Emperor Thomas,

I like to keep my Father on his toes as well - which was especially true during my time as a student and his offer to help me if I had trouble in school... I think, he hoped, that I would get integral calculus on my own, though. ; )

Your people apparently discovered one use for gossip rags, which we have missed. Then again, I could live without staring at my own face when I order fish and chips (which I never had, by the way, but they do sound delicious).
As mentioned, the Freedom of Opinion was originally installed, though not always observed, to facilitate a free exchange of opinions for the betterment of all. You might have heard of how the politcal career of Grand Vizier Mahmut al-Zahir, our current Grand Vizier's predecessor, started with him arguing to Kian-Sultan about the quantity of Math and Language lessons. The thought was, that every man (and in the beginning, it was a male perogative) could speak up freely, without the fear of punishment, if his arguments were wise and well-substantiated. We have raised debating into an art form.

With a kind hug,
Aurelia bint-Damir,
Princess of the Ilkhanate of Utica and Beyeha of Malakiard.

P.S.: Hm... a kilometer?

To: Emperor Thomas Cärrino of Brettenwald.
From: Prince Damir ibn-Razia, Rajalkim, Bey of Mawjayi and Khalsamak.

Personal Correspondence.
Not to be released.

Your Highness,

I understand, what you mean. Marla was a force of nature, something she passed on to her daughter, and it was that fire, so unlike any woman's I knew at the time, which drew me to her like a moth to the light. While Yasmin is a lot more composed and a lot calmer, she is by no means a slouch either.
As for unhappy endings, if You are willing to share the story over a bottle of Aragh, I will be listening.

I have been informed about that, yes. I thank you for the happy news.
I might also share a small secret with you, as I will be leading the delegation at the mediation. Aurelia and my brother Ilia will come along as well, we are waiting for the date and time from the Mervayans, essentially. Our press release should come out in a day or two.
I am glad, that Marcella sees reason - and that Mother agreed to it.

I remain respectfully yours,
Damir ibn-Razia,
Rajalkim, Bey of Mawjayi and Khalsamak.

Dear Princess Aurelia,

Mercifully Helena has always had a quick head for arithmetic, though I wasn't exactly a walk in the park for my tutors and teachers when it came to such things. If Marco ever had any difficulty in school he never asked me for help, and Paris is dyslexic so I went through more red corrective pens (and tissues due to his tears of frustration, he doesn't handle failure well) than I care to think of regarding his grammar and English studies. Fish and chips are indeed delicious, and I found myself visiting a particular stall down south every other Sunday night for dinner when I was at Temku University since theirs were sheer perfection. (Of course, that was when I was young and invincible and could afford the fat & calories.) Unfortunately, try as they might the Palace's kitchens can't seem to get it quite right and it wouldn't be right to demand an old family recipe, so I suppose I'll have to wait a year yet until my nephew Felix graduates. I swear, sometimes I think we could buy that school ten times over with how many tuition checks the family's handed over through the decades.

Freedom of opinion has remained constant, though there have been reigns such as my father and grandfather's in which it was made rather difficult to express said opinions. I won't pretend we've ever been anything close to perfect, but it is a source of some shame that things got as bad as they did for as long as they did. I would prefer not to speak further of them on paper, such things are like declarations of love and the news of death: best expressed in the flesh face-to-face. We haven't raised debate to the level of an art form, but I will say that Parliament is quite well behaved. Maybe Her Honor the Prime Minister reminds more people than myself of Helena's tertiary school headmistress.

I apologize for the delay in this response, but if a letter comes from my eldest son you'll know why. Your father and grandmother have been most helpful regarding certain sensitive personal matters in his and by extension my life, and I didn't wish to bring it up earlier lest you think I was merely humoring you with our correspondence while I discussed the important stuff with the adults in the room. I quite enjoy the company of the younger generations, actually. I like having an idea of what their worldview is and where they stand politically since I'm leaving them a country and I'd better do a good job while I have custody of it, but the problem is that around here my immediately available choices are limited to a naturally biased Helena or a selection of Cabinet Office interns who are too scared of me to make eye contact.

Cordially yours,
Thomas Cärrino, Emperor

P.S. I'll take what I can get.

Dear Prince Damir,

I rarely drink these days, so if my assumption that Aragh kicks like a government mule is correct we'll see if I still have the brainpower to tell it after my first shot. Helena inherited enough of her mother's spirited personality to keep me on my toes and has managed to carve out her own niche in the public's perception of the family, which like a lot of things is harder for girls. I think she and Aurelia would get along well, though she prefers her adrenaline rush on four wheels instead of two. I've never known this particular kind of diplomatic spat to get quite as messy as it has done in this case, but what's done is done and you can't make a river flow back uphill.

I expected Marcella to fold sooner or later, but she held out for longer than I expected. She has a great deal to learn, but in time I think she will do so. I must commend her on her commitment to her beliefs if nothing else. Your mother and mine would either get along famously or tear each other's throats out if they met. The Dowager Empress has a forceful personality, to say the least.

I wish you the best of luck in your business with the Duchess and safe passage to & from Mervay.

Cordially yours,
Thomas Cärrino, Emperor

by **Mervay** » Fri Sep 24, 2021 1:50 am

And so they found themselves back at The Kitan, the resort was the closest one could get to an five-star hotel back at home while keeping the classic air that characterized the islands. They booked for their stay there because of both convenience and familiarity as the Chancellor had already stayed on it and so did Her Majesty when she took a vacation in the islands back in 2019.
The great side was they she could relax finally, now that she's in the resort, she could go to her room. As such, she nodded at Ren while watching Satou leave for her talk with the manager.

"Before I take my leave then. The costs will be covered by the Chancellery which I assume, will be in contact with Ms. Kinoshita in regards to it in order to negotiate the payment method, please make sure to advice her that someone from it will be calling her in the next few days." The Chancellor smiled politely before having her eyes set on Natsume.

"If you may please, lead the way miss." She smiled warmly with a slight giggle alongside it.

Residence
The moment her mother left with her wife, Tess could only sigh deeply in relief at how that went, she thought she was gone back then.
But now... Well...
She should really think in how to spend this newfound time if it doesn't go to waste like she thought it would by the simple fact the Lamonians had a fleet in the region and the Kyrenaian Navy had one of their Carrier Groups close to the islands in international waters; at least cool heads were prevailing.

She huffed a sigh before streching herself, she promised her wife something ready for her and so she would! As such, she looked for any ingredients to prepare a meal for them, she was already running her mind with options from home and abroad, and she knew they would take a while so she decided to have some Mugicha tea prepared for her while making their meal. Hopefully she'll like it.

Kyrenaia wrote:Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica.
Marla Sahrar of the Tribe of Wicklow.
Pandereos came out of the changing rooms without the towel, which was not unusual, but not usual either. I doubted, that anyone would take offense, least of all any of the ladies present, myself included.
In any case, Pandereos allowed me to take a break, not that I wanted to do anything else and so I joined the side of my fellow Handmaidens - Shirin didn't miss a beat and Tara nodded at me as I sat down at their side.
I took a look around the room, just in the right moment to see Princess Yasmin rise, obviously having found something more interesting then her husband's and Mahmut's duel on the Board.
What she had in mind...?

Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica.
Princess Yasmin bint-Atif.
Allow me to enlighten you about that myself - I had in mind to entertain myself with the young man, who had just entered. No doubt his assigned Handmaiden had told him, that it would be rude to stare, so I forewent my towel as well, kissing my husband on his cheek.
He gave a grunt in acknowledgement. As bad as he was in chess, he had a working mind for Fidchell, which I couldn't wrap my head around in turn.
Anyway, I rose, water flowed down my form, and I left the pool. The stones were slightly slippery on wet feet, but if one had a mind for that, then there was only a little danger.
"Good afternoon.", I greeted the young Mervayan Prince with a smile, my blue eyes sparkled. I also wore nothing, which might confuse him, as he might notice the small bulge in my stomach. I was, however, not pregnant, I had given birth to a healthy child in March, this was just a bit of fat that I had accumulated during the time. More were to come, though. I continued: "Please, join me for a bit... is this your first time in a Hammam, Prince Pandereos?"

Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond.
Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
I was indeed blushing - I had little idea about the internal monologue Agus had, but she noticed it. I almost broke off my work on her posterior, but kept my hands moving.
"It's... well...", I began, then broke off, "...I am not sure how to say this, but... well... uhm..." Okay, Aurelia, this is not like you. Grow a bloody spine and tell her: "You have a nice butt."
It was as if an iceberg had walked up, reached into my brain and froze it solid. Only that my cheeks were hot enough to melt the iceberg.
"I mean, the glutes muscles are nicely developed and we already talked about the skin and... and...", I tried to explain myself hastily, then Aurelia.exe finally hung itself. I groaned. "That came out wrong, didn't it?"
It should be noted, that my hands were still on her posterior.

Pandareos III of Mervay
Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica
Surprise got him as he noticed Princess Yasmin approached his location, clearly having found something interesting than the game her husband was having against Prince Mahmut in Fidchell. So they were out of the realm of the living until something got their attention and was clearly unexpected.
The Prince didn't dare to bat an eye to her beyond a small glimpse at her eyes, but he did noticed the fat she had from the pregnancy that was yet to be burned off.

"Well, you can put it that way, Princess Yasmin." He smiled nerviously as a small chuckle let out his mouth before he had an more confident one. "It's a pleasure to finally met you miss." It was polite and certainly confident now that it was confirmed this was his first time in a Hammam, even if there was something kind of similar back home beyond the hot springs.

"I've must congratulate you and your husband for the child you had back a few months ago, I'm sure he's destined to great things."

Agustinas Florenze Da Mervay
Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond
She was getting way too nervious with how stammered she was being, it made Agus worried so she decided to glance sideways to see it in person, and well... She could almost see that she was a blushing mess... Which worsened with what she said next that made Agus freeze in silence.
It was like that for a minute after the Princess made her explanation and said it came out wrong before she did something unexpected. Laugh. And she did laugh, a good-natured laughter at the comment and the whole scene that also went with a beaming smile the moment she finally regained herself to stop it.

"It came, very, very wrong." She grinned warmly at her friend before she glanced away with an evident blush on her face while shyly speaking. "B-but thank you; I guess? Y-you also have a beautiful body as well..." For all the things Agustinas Da Mervay, The Queen of Mervay; a woman which was loved and feared, that always kept a cool demeanor when faced with a serious situation... She was certainly lost when it came to how to respond to this and to this entire situation. It was... Kind of akward to begin with? And she could see why, or at least have an idea of why.

"Guess we should continue, right?"

by **Astares Amauricanum** » Fri Oct 08, 2021 1:28 pm

Utica
"No, that will be all on my side. I'll follow you from a distance to see if everything goes well. Good luck Mola." simply says Alima with a nod, before bidding goodbye to both AHSCAian women and getting out of the place.

Now, the dangerous work begins... thinks the ACI agent as she starts walking back in the streets...

From:
Keisaer Adrean Blachkor
Keisaerina Anna Blachkor.

To:
Duchess Marcella Villa.

Subject:
Flight to Mervay.

Encryption:
Maximum

Dear Marcella,

all right then, let's put our work in motion then. We will prepare the Peony Quarters for you and your staff to stay the week with us. Since you enjoyed the service of Dorothy, Nidia and Ethan, we're sure you will be happy to see them again.

Just to say, do not expect any big fanfare when you land or anything. We will not raise unecesary attention as long as we can.
And besides, most of the country has its eyes turned on the ongoing war with Geonal, so your presence should be unnoticed at first, which is good.

Have a safe flight, and we can't wait to see you again.

Adrean and Anna.

by **Kyrenaia** » Sat Oct 09, 2021 10:25 am

Mervay wrote:[...]
Pandareos III of Mervay
Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica
Surprise got him as he noticed Princess Yasmin approached his location, clearly having found something interesting than the game her husband was having against Prince Mahmut in Fidchell. So they were out of the realm of the living until something got their attention and was clearly unexpected.
The Prince didn't dare to bat an eye to her beyond a small glimpse at her eyes, but he did noticed the fat she had from the pregnancy that was yet to be burned off.

"Well, you can put it that way, Princess Yasmin." He smiled nerviously as a small chuckle let out his mouth before he had an more confident one. "It's a pleasure to finally met you miss." It was polite and certainly confident now that it was confirmed this was his first time in a Hammam, even if there was something kind of similar back home beyond the hot springs.

"I've must congratulate you and your husband for the child you had back a few months ago, I'm sure he's destined to great things."

Agustinas Florenze Da Mervay
Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond
She was getting way too nervious with how stammered she was being, it made Agus worried so she decided to glance sideways to see it in person, and well... She could almost see that she was a blushing mess... Which worsened with what she said next that made Agus freeze in silence.
It was like that for a minute after the Princess made her explanation and said it came out wrong before she did something unexpected. Laugh. And she did laugh, a good-natured laughter at the comment and the whole scene that also went with a beaming smile the moment she finally regained herself to stop it.

"It came, very, very wrong." She grinned warmly at her friend before she glanced away with an evident blush on her face while shyly speaking. "B-but thank you; I guess? Y-you also have a beautiful body as well..." For all the things Agustinas Da Mervay, The Queen of Mervay; a woman which was loved and feared, that always kept a cool demeanor when faced with a serious situation... She was certainly lost when it came to how to respond to this and to this entire situation. It was... Kind of akward to begin with? And she could see why, or at least have an idea of why.

"Guess we should continue, right?"

Altinyarat-Palace, Malakiard, Khanate of Khond.
Princess Aurelia bint-Damir.
I was, for a moment, stumped, as Agus began to laugh at my misfortune.
It took a few moments, but then I laughed with her – it was an absurd situation, after all, me complimenting her rear end while I was massaging it, the fact, that I was massaging her, the entire reason why she was here... I did not mind the latter, but the reason for it, I could live without.
And then...
“It came, very, very wrong.”, she said and looked away, “B-but thank you; I guess? Y-you also have a beautiful body as well...”
I paused in my very breath, my heart skipped a beat.
Many people had told me, that I was beautiful, or that certain parts of my body were beautiful or that I looked beautiful doing certain things (my favourite being, when someone told me I looked so cool when horsearchering), but this... had a different ring to it.
“Guess we should continue, right?”
“Yeah, let's.”, I said and moved on, my cheeks still red, to her legs.
Massaging the legs came with me rising from my position, standing next to Agus and went one after the other. From the hips down towards the feet, I ran my hands, rubbed thighs and calves, massaged knots and tight spots with my thumbs. I felt Agus shudder in delight at least once, her feeling my hands very clearly and delightfully.
I also worked on her feet for a bit, especially the sole, then stepped to her side.
“Turn on your back, please.”
Agus remained on her stomach for a moment, then rose to her knees and hands.
“This is doing wonders for my tense muscles...”, she said and rolled, sitting on her butt for a moment before lying back down. “...so I guess it is working...”
“You had some really tense ones.”, I agreed, watched her getting settled. “You might want to have a massage every now and again, even if it is just a short shoulder rub.” I thought for a moment. “If you want, I can teach you some self-massage techniques. They come in handy after long balls... especially for the legs.”
“That would be lovely, thank you.”, Agus agreed, then settled down. “I'm ready for the next phase.”
I nodded and swung myself back up, settling in a similar position as before, facing Agus taking a moment to look into her eyes. And only her eyes. I exhaled deeply, then reached out to place my hands on her shoulders to...
“Your Majesties, pardon the... interruption?”, a voice said.
Our heads whipped around.
Standing in the doorway, fully dressed, was Agus' butler, looking at us with a bewildered expression. I could not hold it against him, after all, his employer was being straddled by another beautiful woman, hands half-extended, both blushing and it looked a whole lot as if he walked into something he was decidedly not supposed to see.
There was an awkward silence before he cleared his throat, then reported: “Your brother reports a successful talk with the Sultana. She agreed to the mediation and he took her up on an invitation for dinner at the the Azure Hall.”
Agus nodded. “Very well, thank you. Please relay to him my gratitude and compliments.”
“Yes, Ma'am.”, he said, “If there is nothing else...”
“You're dismissed.” I wondered how Agus could keep such a straight face.
“Very well, Ma'am.”, he said, bowed to me... “Princess.” ...and turned on his heels. It reminded me a bit of a soldier parading, doing an about face.
“Bye, bye.”, I said and gave him a cheeky wave.
He left us and the two of us remained silent – it started with a snort from Agus, then we both broke out into laughter. It was a long and heartfelt laughter, so hard it made tears run down my cheeks, Agus curling a bit until we had calmed.
Gods, I had needed that...
The mood was gone, but replaced by something else, a friendly atmosphere, not one of tenseness. I decided to abandon my perch and lie down next to Agus, close to my friend, who wrapped an arm around me.
Both of us grinned.
“He will remember this for a long time.”, I said and grinned at Agus.
She grinned back at me. “He will.”, she confirmed, “But please don't hold it against him...”
I raised a hand and shook my head. “No, of course not. He was doing his duty.”, I said and resisted the urge to snuggle up to Agus. “Can't fault a man for that.”
Agus nodded.
We were silent for a while.
The Hot Room's temperature made me sweat and the steam certainly aided in that. It helped a lot with the massages.
Speaking of... without a word, I rose into my previous position, straddled Agus, I placed my hands on her stomach and began working on her abdominal muscles.
“Last time I gave one of those, the stomach was a lot larger.”, I said with a smile, then looked at Agus: “Yasmin. She was pregnant at the time... a week before Dschafar's birth, actually, and he kicked at me... he liked it.” I smiled. “She, too, of course, and Dad liked, that we were getting along so well.” I smiled at Agus, then added: “Children are far removed from our minds, aren't they?”
She nodded. “I want children one day, when I feel ready.”
“Yeah... finding the right person to raise them with might play a part as well.”, I added and Agus nodded. She might have noticed the way I phrased that. My hands stopped. Tears welled up. “I was considering who to ask for a sperm donation...”
Holding a hand in front of my mouth, I tried to hold back tears.
That stupid bint from the UIS.
That stupid Sultana.
That stupid runt of a Princess.
I failed.
And just as the damn broke, I felt arms wrap around my neck, Agus' arms, who pulled me down into her embrace, onto her, hiding my face in the crook of her neck.
There, the damn broke and I bawled my eyes out into Agus' shoulder, who encouraged me to let it all out, softly stroking my back, softly petting my head, softly whispering to me.
For the last four years, I had fought for a relationship, I had bled for a relationship, I lost friends, both figuratively and literally... I literally split society into three pieces. And then, when push had come to shove, when the Sultana had given her verdict on how I was to proceed, and that had been a negative...
...Marcella dropped the entire relationship.
For a moment, I asked myself, if her love for me had been real in the first place.
If I wasn't just a nice way to pass time for her or worse, a political asset with some benefits.
And that she, now that I didn't have any use anymore, simply dropped me and tried to milk the situation for anything she could – amateurishly, yes, but she tried.
Yeah, well, didn't work, let's move on!, she had written. Where was her fight? Where was her spirit? Where was strength when one needed it?
She might not have been able to sway the Sultana's opinion, but she might have been able to sway the Sultana's decision, with some quick thinking and political manoeuvring...
It took a while, until I had calmed down, still hiding my face in the crook of Agus' neck. What would have been were uninteresting, what ifs were unreal... my friend, in who's arms I was, was not.
I rose to all fours, looked into Agus' eyes. Her arms were still wrapped around my neck as she looked at me with concern in them. Her arms were loose, giving me the room to leave if I so desired.
“Feeling better?”, she asked softly.
I answered by kissing her on the lips.
Let's leave it at 'There was a lot of tongue involved.'
Once I was reasonably certain, that she got the idea, I broke off the kiss and looked into her eyes again.
“I think, the temperature is getting to me.”, I told her softly and rose, running my fingertips from her sternum to her abdomen as I straddled her again, before rising fully from that position as well. “I think I'll retire to the Warm Room... follow me, when you are ready.”
And with that, and a light sway to my hips, I left her.
...what in the name of the Gods did I just do...?

Palace of the Azure Hall, Utica.
Princess Yasmin bint-Atif.
I smiled at Pandereos.
“Thank you.”, I said and motioned for him to sit at the pool's edge, sitting down myself, both feet in the water. I looked over to Damir, then back at the young man. “He sure will do great things, if time will allow him... he has a huge to live up to, though...”
He looked at me quizzically.
“Dschafar ibn-Walid was Damir's Father.”, I said, “A hugely popular man, not wise, but certainly smart. He died young.”
Pandereos nodded, but didn't comment. “Wait, ibn-Walid? Does that mean...?”
“Yes.”, I said, “He was a commoner. Razia fought tooth and nail for the right to marry him. And he did, too.” I smiled. “According to legend, that was what convinced Damir's grandparents to allow it. Especially his Grandfather.”
“Very much unlike Marcella.”, Pandereos commented.
He knew the letters I would learn about tomorrow. Still, it surprised me a bit – how could that woman simply drop Aurelia so easily? Like a hot potato or a piece of trash...
I nodded.
“Tell me, do you have a girlfriend?”
“Uh, no.”, Pandereos answered, “Though there are a few women, who have caught my eye, I have no girlfriend currently.”
I smiled. “Let me tell you something about us women, then...”, I said and smiled at him. “We like to be fought for. We like men, who get their rear ends into gear and who stand up for what they believe in, who conquer our hearts, minds and very souls.” He nodded slowly. “And being able to cook might also be helpful.”
He burst out laughing at that.

Brettenwald wrote:The morning sunlight found its way into Penthouse 6 and cast a golden corona around the portion of Rohan's head that wasn't pressed into the pillow by his sleep.
"Hey, moon and stars."
Marco stroked his lover's cheek and gave him a small peck on the forehead, getting a blearily-opening grey eye and a dimpled half-smile in response as a blush crept over a face inches from his own, one that still made his heart sing after more than a year together.
"Hey yourself, your highness."
Rohan rolled over and scooted to his left, the better to lay his head on the bigger man's bare chest and get a hand run through raven hair.
"So. This is it, eh?"

This, the seemingly unremarkable if abnormally sunny (by the standards of Brettain weather in the summer) Saturday of July 31st, 2021, was indeed it. The culmination of ten years' blood, sweat and tears for Marco himself and a year together with Rohan besides, and he was looking forward to it more than he'd ever looked forward to anything in his life.
"At long last." The prince stretched his arms and yawned. "How'd you sleep?"
Rohan gave him a mischievous grin. "Very well, once you let me."
"I don't remember hearing any complaints," Marco teased. "It was more of a breathless 'oh' kind of of night-"

A giggly, euphoric thwap in the face with a pillow dispatched that little embarrassment quite effectively.

Marco put an arm around the other man and pulled him closer on the couch a couple of hours later. Neither of them had overthought their outfits for a history-altering selfie, with the former in a navy blue three-piece suit with the jacket off and the collar unbuttoned for a rakish yet gentlemanly look and the latter in black chinos and a light pink button-down dress shirt. The prince practically slept in a suit and his boyfriend preferred to save flamboyant dress for the stage where he felt it belonged, so this was hardly unusual.
"Do I need to take my glasses off? Do you want me to adjust the blinds if the light's bad or anything?" Rohan was suddenly concerned.
"It's fine, babe. Three, two, one-"

Dear Internet,
I know the rumors have been flying thick and fast lately, and there are a few things I'd like to clear up. Yes, Rohan and I are dating. No, he's not the first. No, I'm not gay, I'm bisexual. I'm still into the fairer sex, so the line of succession need not worry anyone. There's nothing wrong with me, nobody made me like this but the gods, and it's just who I am. Simple as. I've known since I was sixteen but remained silent for personal reasons until now, and let me tell you it's been a long and hard ten years of silence, heartache and self-loathing.
I'm done with that.
I'm done with fear.
I'm not lying anymore.
I'm not apologizing anymore.
I'm not going to hate myself anymore.
I'm not going to feel ashamed or dirty or like something's wrong with me anymore.
It's the best feeling in the world, and I pray that everyone in this country's LGBT community and the world's as well who can't live life as their true, beautiful selves gets to experience it sooner rather than later.

Know that you have a friend in a high place and that somebody out there cares.

Love,
Marco
#BraveEnough

Dear Princess Aurelia, Prince Damir, and Razia-Sultana,

I have to admit it came as quite the shock when my father told me of his- well, outsourcing seems like a cynical word, but reaching out to Your Highnesses and Majesty for advice, mostly due to the fact that he admitted to it in the first place since he is a proud and private man who keeps his cards close to his chest. I must also confess to some considerable degree of anger that he would think it acceptable to share one of my most closely guarded secrets with people whom I do not know representing a state with whom we have no formal diplomatic relationship, but that was merely in the heat of the moment. (I beg you not to take it personally, I have struggled with anger issues since adolescence and it is very rarely directed at anyone other than myself.) After a good night's sleep and my morning workout have done their part to ease my mind, I have to conclude that he did the best he could with the incomplete and skewed knowledge he had both as a man who grew up in a markedly different political and social climate with considerably more conservative views on sexuality than today and a man who has for better or worse lived the years of his life with a certain degree of detachment from the common man and the real world. Therefore, since your kind words will most likely have changed my life by the time this letter makes it to Utica I must thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I choose to believe that he would have said yes anyway but I'll not ask. I've never been in the habit of questioning good fortune, I've rolled the dice of fate a few times too many to make it a good idea. As far as the formalities of diplomacy are concerned the Crown has been making inquiries about membership in the Strategic and Economic Alliance, and despite the fact that the Sultanate is not a member of said organization I'm aware that your country has ties with nations which are, so perhaps third parties will end up drawing us closer. I look forward to the day I am able to thank at least one of you in person, and I wish you a peaceful and long-lasting resolution to your conflicts both personal and political with Duchess Villa.

Your Highnesses and Majesty, I remain sincerely,
Marco Cärrino, Crown Prince of Brettenwald

P.S. Princess Aurelia, I know Father hasn't filled you in on this yet, so there's context in the envelope as well. Rohan sends his regards to all three of you since he's almost as happy about this as I am.

Included in the envelope was a color printout of what would soon become known as the Instagram post that broke the Empire.

[...]
Dear Princess Aurelia,

Mercifully Helena has always had a quick head for arithmetic, though I wasn't exactly a walk in the park for my tutors and teachers when it came to such things. If Marco ever had any difficulty in school he never asked me for help, and Paris is dyslexic so I went through more red corrective pens (and tissues due to his tears of frustration, he doesn't handle failure well) than I care to think of regarding his grammar and English studies. Fish and chips are indeed delicious, and I found myself visiting a particular stall down south every other Sunday night for dinner when I was at Temku University since theirs were sheer perfection. (Of course, that was when I was young and invincible and could afford the fat & calories.) Unfortunately, try as they might the Palace's kitchens can't seem to get it quite right and it wouldn't be right to demand an old family recipe, so I suppose I'll have to wait a year yet until my nephew Felix graduates. I swear, sometimes I think we could buy that school ten times over with how many tuition checks the family's handed over through the decades.

Freedom of opinion has remained constant, though there have been reigns such as my father and grandfather's in which it was made rather difficult to express said opinions. I won't pretend we've ever been anything close to perfect, but it is a source of some shame that things got as bad as they did for as long as they did. I would prefer not to speak further of them on paper, such things are like declarations of love and the news of death: best expressed in the flesh face-to-face. We haven't raised debate to the level of an art form, but I will say that Parliament is quite well behaved. Maybe Her Honor the Prime Minister reminds more people than myself of Helena's tertiary school headmistress.

I apologize for the delay in this response, but if a letter comes from my eldest son you'll know why. Your father and grandmother have been most helpful regarding certain sensitive personal matters in his and by extension my life, and I didn't wish to bring it up earlier lest you think I was merely humoring you with our correspondence while I discussed the important stuff with the adults in the room. I quite enjoy the company of the younger generations, actually. I like having an idea of what their worldview is and where they stand politically since I'm leaving them a country and I'd better do a good job while I have custody of it, but the problem is that around here my immediately available choices are limited to a naturally biased Helena or a selection of Cabinet Office interns who are too scared of me to make eye contact.

Cordially yours,
Thomas Cärrino, Emperor

P.S. I'll take what I can get.

Dear Prince Damir,

I rarely drink these days, so if my assumption that Aragh kicks like a government mule is correct we'll see if I still have the brainpower to tell it after my first shot. Helena inherited enough of her mother's spirited personality to keep me on my toes and has managed to carve out her own niche in the public's perception of the family, which like a lot of things is harder for girls. I think she and Aurelia would get along well, though she prefers her adrenaline rush on four wheels instead of two. I've never known this particular kind of diplomatic spat to get quite as messy as it has done in this case, but what's done is done and you can't make a river flow back uphill.

I expected Marcella to fold sooner or later, but she held out for longer than I expected. She has a great deal to learn, but in time I think she will do so. I must commend her on her commitment to her beliefs if nothing else. Your mother and mine would either get along famously or tear each other's throats out if they met. The Dowager Empress has a forceful personality, to say the least.

I wish you the best of luck in your business with the Duchess and safe passage to & from Mervay.

Cordially yours,
Thomas Cärrino, Emperor

Dear Crown Prince Marco,

upon release of your post and arrival of your letter, my Father has filled me in on everything and both he and the Sultana saw it fit to allow me to write in their name as well: You're welcome.
From me, who I had little role in advising your Father, I want to wish you all the best, to both you and Rohan. He seems like a good guy and so do you – besides, the two of you look cute together.
Please don't hold it against your Father, that he asked for advice. Sure, he could have asked someone closer to home, but from what I understand, there simply was no one. So he did the only thing he could, he asked abroad. It is the mark of a wise man to know, when he needs help.

I would like to think, that if one positive thing comes out of this mess, it will be, that our nations came in touch and that you found the bravery to overcome your fear. I sometimes wish, that I would have had that bravery.

With a kind hug,
Aurelia bint-Damir,
Princess of the Ilkhanate of Utica and Beyeha of Malakiard.

P.S.: If we ever meet in person, I must take both you and Rohan on a spin on the nearest dance floor. I insist. ; )

Dear Emperor Thomas,

I wait for the day, when little Dschafar is old enough to ask his Big Sister for help in whatever teachers have decided to torture him with, then. And of course, his Big Sister won't be the one, who helps him with maths... ; )
That being said, if you ever find yourself in Utica, insist on dining at the Al'Arz (yes, that one). Their Kibbeh is to die for.

I found an image of the Prime Minister and, if you allow me to say so, she looks a lot like the teacher no one wanted in my Elementary School. That being said, for us, it was never the problem of expressing the opinion – it was listening. Or acting accordingly, for that matter. We had several famous Sultans, among them Kian, who had talents in having other issues, and non-issues on the forefront of their minds. But indeed, it might be best, if we talk about such history lessons in person.

I understand. Crown Prince Marco has made it clear, that I should not hold the... I want to say 'secrecy' against anyone and I know, that it helped him. That is the important part.

With a kind hug,
Aurelia bint-Damir,
Princess of the Ilkhanate of Utica and Beyeha of Malakiard.

P.S.: I better not mention, that my horse manages fifty kilometers per hour on full gallop... a speed I feel confident in my ability to hit a target four hundred meters down range with my bow. Granted, nowadays it's more 'hitting the target' and not 'hitting the bullseye', but with some practice...

To: Emperor Thomas Cärrino of Brettenwald.
From: Prince Damir ibn-Razia, Rajalkim, Bey of Mawjayi and Khalsamak.

Personal Correspondence.
Not to be released.

Your Highness,

sadly, that is true. Things were said and actions were taken, which can't be taken back, no matter how much we wish for it. To borrow my daughter's phrasing, Marcella chased the foxes out of the chicken coop only to let the wolves in.
We'll see, if she likes these wolves. However, I know, that Aurelia has made quite a name for herself, too, not only with her lobbying for a change in the Law of Marriage, but also as my plus one on diplomatic trips. Granted, her role was, especially early on, limited to looking pretty and doing the cultural programme while I did the heavy lifting, but that was, what got her into the public's eye and perception in a different light then after the whole mess around Miss Fiafia. She now undertakes her own diplomatic trips. Being the only child of mine and among my siblings (that we know of, the jury is still out on what Ilia was up to in foreign harbours) until Dschafar's birth and one of the current generation of strong and especially headstrong young Princes and Princesses certainly helped her.

It would be a pleasant meeting and a pleasant conversation, I imagine. Very courteous, unless the two find a common hobby or something, but pleasant.
But yes, Marcella needs to learn how the world works. And that sometimes, you need to forego personal happiness for what matters to us – for what has to matter to us. I do not know, from the top of my head, how many people live in Brettenwald, but I know, that half a billion people and their wellbeing are greater and more important then any of here in Kyrenaia. And if it were only ten, it would still be greater and more important, no matter how much it hurts us in the process.
That is something my Grandmother, the ancient and wise Jida, told me.

I remain respectfully yours,
Damir ibn-Razia,
Rajalkim, Bey of Mawjayi and Khalsamak.

P.S.: Yes, Aragh has one heck of punch.

by **AHSCA** » Sun Oct 10, 2021 12:52 pm

The Household of Grand Vizier Mahmut al-Zahir searches for a Handmaiden well-versed in the handling of flowers, specifically of flowers from tropical climates. The Handmaiden in question will mostly be occupied in the Greenhouses of the Darqaeidin Palace, but can, if need arises, be drafted to work in other areas of the gardens.
Payment in accordance to the tariffs, unless prior active experience can be proven. Good looks optional, but preferred.

Utica - Beginning of Operation Inroads

Mola finished her last minute preparations and gathered all remaining papers and topped out with pair of what looked like ordinary glasses, because they ARE ordinary glasses. Some people really liked the bespectacled females and it was a decent way to change her appearance if only slightly. Despite a few suggestions from her colleagues that maybe she should untie her hair, slip into a skintight leather outfit, she opted to continue being herself , she prized herself on her knowledge and thinking, not her acting, trying to fake it too much might just make it too easy for her cover to be blown. Following the instructions in the ad, it lead her to where she'd go for the job position. Giving a polite greeting to whoever would be there to receive her, "Good day. I'm here about the job offer? Is it still open?" She smiled softly and easy.

Duchess Villa

A quite uneventful plane ride, Marcella late in the evening from AHSCA and would be on the ground sometime in the morning. Noir poured over documents as Marcella quietly and pensively stared out the window on the cloudy abyss. Their pilot called back with an ETA of about 15 minutes, as the letter stated it would be a quick in and out arrival at the airport, that was just fine, it wasn't a state visit, no need for pomp and circumstances. "Well, Milady I feel we have everything arranged," Noir said "But still, do you think a full week was required?"

"Last thing I want to do is shoot my mouth off again, I think it's best I take the time to prepare and rehearse everything and anything."

"Understood, Milady, understood. Milady, I imagine this will smooth out and remember, I'm still your Officer. I will not stand by quietly if your asked to grovel."

"Certainly not. I'll apologize, I'll admit I'm wrong if it makes everyone happy, but last thing I'll do is get on my knees and beg for mercy. The Sultana can have my head on a pike if she likes but I will not sell our national dignity down the river."

"Of course, Milady." The sounds of the engines changing speed and landing gear deploying meant it was approach time and just as quickly the plane was on the ground. Maybe a week was a bit much but Marcella was sincere enough to seek a tidy end to all this, she'd also want to find a way to repay Mervay for taking this upon themselves to mediate this. What was their angle in this? Hard to say, yes a daughter of an important person was now a citizen but still that's a lot of trouble for one international marriage. Honestly, it'd be in Mervay's best interest to side with Kyrenaia in this but whatever, it was time to get this over with.

The Kitan

Natsume nodded, "Yes Madam, your expenses have been covered in full, so please if you desire anything else, do not hesitate to ask us. Not to worry, Manager is full contact with your fine folks so we get it!" She smiled making a few scribbles on the ledger "All right, please follow me." Taking them on back to a small private room they could enjoy a bit of solitude just as Natsume was showing them, another young woman wrapped in a bath towel approached her "Pardon me, Attendant....Oh...." The woman in question was a journalist with Aurora's Hanasaku Press, an independent newspaper, not tied up with the State thus tended to be a bit more laissez-faire about its standards at times. Well for now she wouldn't bother the Mervay VIP but she had to keep an eye out for her later.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"Hehe sorry...It's just I stepped out a moment for some water, and well embarrassingly enough, I forgot which room I was in."

"Ahah not to worry, Miss, happens often. Be right with you." Natsume turned back to the Mervayn "Anyway, Madam, this is your room, the change room to store your things and just beyond the second door is the bath itself. So please enjoy and let us know if you need anything."

Residence

Satou wrapped up everything else at work, getting her days wages in advance, just you know in case something last minute should change. Satou quickly returned home running through a sudden onslaught of rain. "Home. Mmmm smells like something good is brewing." She caught scent of the tea, perfect to hopefully take care of both their nerves. Satou was certainly a bit nervous herself about this. A full force hurricane? Bring it on, that hardly scared her, but this was certainly different and she had to see her wife through it.

A Messy Breakup (Private)

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