The Crown Prince’s Ball (Meillur-Only)

[Kingdom of Derita]

“I’m glad that you do.” said Andeja. “I hope that you like it here. And at Ezikwizalo. I hope to see you more out side of class. We can hang out you know.” Andeja’s face felt so hot he was sure it would burst into flames, and he felt short of break, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the fast pace of the waltz. “If you wish it.”

Jean looked away, catching a glimpse of his friend on the dance floor. For a moment amidst the swirling of Oruk’s dress and blend of black and white, gold and sliver as they moved with the rush of the orchestra, they looked splendid. A vision of affection, even if at its more primitive stages. Jean glance back at the older gentlemen and found his fingers playing with the thin decorated locks of his ponytail.

“I assure you, that is not the case. I think most eyes skim over me. It is hard to stand out when you are standing next to His Imperial Highness. I might as well be standing next to the sun.”

[Patuania]

Oruk looked up at Andeja. He was so terribly cute when he was flustered. The way he sort of stumbled through his words and sentences, it threw aside the mysterious figure of a crown prince, and reveal a real person beneath. And while she could work with a crown prince, Oruk was far more inclined to actually like a real person.

“I assure you I wish to.” Oruk paused as they took a step and turned, her skirts swung around her in graceful flurries. “That is, if it is as a date. I don’t think I would quite handle being friendzoned.” Certainly not by the heir of the Celestial Empire.

Kanatus followed the young man’s gaze and rolled his eyes. “The sun may have its purpose but it’s far from the most beautiful thing in the sky. The stars burn hotter than the sun and have the light of a thousand of them in a cosmic display. And they are but a twinkle in your eyes.”

Kanatus said, his eye looking to the hand playing with the ponytail, like a sign of nervousness. He took it and pulled it up to his lips and kissed it. “Whoever has dared to let their eyes skim over you is a damned fool.”

[Colfico]

Felix looked at the pastry’s for a moment, before taking one, and saying “thank you.” and taking a bite, taking care to get a even cross section of the pastry. He decided that the taste was pleasant, and the sugar complimented it nicely enough. He finished swallowing before saying

“They are quite delicious, I can see why you enjoy them so much.”

He watched how she seemed to be trying to get a glimpse of someone, and also noticed that everyone else seemed to be looking at something.

He misinterpreted it as her having interest elsewhere, and asked “Is there something else that you would like to do?”

[Kingdom of Derita]

Andeja was speechless for a moment. He felt like when his sister snuck into his room— yes if royals have to deal with annoying younger siblings— and played around scratched one of his records and it was left stuck on a loop. His thoughts didn’t seem capable of finding the right syllables to form words to respond. Thankful this blankness of his mind didn’t seem to apply to his legs, whicu continued following the steps of the dance on autopilot. No doubt a byproduct of years of etiquette training turned into muscle memory. The Crown Prince simply could not stumble. Words. Those where a different story.

“I’ve never been on a date before.” Andeja blurted out.

Jean blushed, but pulled his hand away. He was not used to such affection to be paid to him by a stranger. Of course the Aukusans wouldn’t care. They were far less modest than the more sensible mainlanders. And Jean would be damned if he entertained the stranger so much that he might be likened to that of Keoni. And yet. He didn’t mind the act itself. A small smile made it way oti his face in spite of his most valiant of efforts.

“Well. It’s nice to know that you are not a fool. It would be even nicer to know your name.”

[Kingdom of Derita]

Cel, taking samosa for herself and devouring it without much preamble as she blissfully enjoyed the sweet and then savory blossom of flavor. She smiled when she watched Felix take a more careful pace to his pastry.

“Oh, no, I was just trying to see the Crown Prince. He is dancing with some foreign girl. They look like a swirling aspects of Taiji.” Cel sighed with admiration. “It’s such a rare sight you know. Why? Was there something you wished to do?”

[Patuania]

Oruk raised an eyebrow. She was not aware of the particulars of courtship in the Celestial Empire. She had assumed that if followed roughly along the same track as it did in Patuania, with teenagers often courting one another in relationships. But she recalled that the Deritains had ha much higher idea of what counted as an adult.

“Seriously? Never?”

The Paras gave his quarry a small mock bow, his smirk ever present. “I’ll tell you if you tell me.”

[Colfico]

Felix watched her enjoying the pastry, it was clear to him, just by watching her eat it, that she was very fond of them. He knew he could not match a Deritan prince as far as catching someone’s eye, nor did he particularly mind. He listened to the sigh of admiration in her voice, before being surprised by her question, which caught him somewhat off guard.

He thought for a moment, before he gave his answer.

“I am already enjoying your company.” He thought about it before saying “Would you like to dance?”

[Kingdom of Derita]

Andeja nodded. Then he shook his head. Then, finding the words said, “No, never. It’s sort of hard to do so when you are constantly under the eyes of… well… everyone. This is my first time meeting so many people.” He considered Oruk’s expression. “Have you?”

Jean was hesitant, but he couldn’t see the harm in it. “I am Lord Jean Yoyo. Son of the Baron and Lady Yo-yo. Gentleman of the Crown Prince’s court.” He said it matter of factly, not trying to sound condescending, but wanting to both ensure his suitor knew who he was talking too and to see if he would respond in kind.

Cel said, “I am enjoying your company as well.” She considered his question and nodded. “Though let us wait for the next song. I don’t think it would be taken too well to seek to steal imperial thunder. How do you like the samosas? Aren’t they to die for? Do they have them back in Colfico?”

[Colfico]

Felix nodded, although he did agree with not doing it simply because it stole the thunder of someone else. They were there to enjoy themselves, and he did not particularly care of doing so hurt the fragile ego of some Royal or noble.

“They are quite good, although sadly, if we do have them in Colfico, I have not heard of them or come across them yet. Not that I remember encountering or hearing of anyway. Most of the dishes you find in Colfico, especially along the river are fish based, although we do have our own pastry’s. We do have a rice flour based pastry called Daifuku that I enjoy fairly often. It’s simple, and often filled with fruit or jam, and makes an excellent breakfast.”

[Patuania]

Oruk hesitated at the question, not sure what kind of answer she should give to that question. Southerners seemed to have very odd stances on the roles of relationships and women compared to the north. She decided with telling him something that was mostly the truth. “Once or twice. Nothing serious.”

Meanwhile Kanatus smiled. He didn’t recognized the title nor the odd position that made him very curious as to the court of the crown prince, but no, the name itself didn’t quite seem entirely unknown to him. He pushed that aside and pressed on. “Kanatus,” he provided succinctly with a small nod of his head.

[Kingdom of Derita]

“Oh, Daifuku,” Cel echoed the named of the rice based food, trying to imagine it. It sounded like it would be a nice treat. “I will definitely try and see if I can try some. I love pastries. We have the best pastry chefs in the world.” Deritains had long been known for their quite serious dedication to the culinary field of bread based foods, in particular pastries, which officials noting that Deritain meals were often smaller with their calories and effort being redistributed towards desserts. “What kind of fish?”

“Really?” Now it was Andeja’s turn to have his curiosity piqued. The love lives of royals was a thing often sensationalized by the media, newspapers and radio stations loved to recount the exploits of princes and princesses, with an almost obsessive fervor that unsettled many if the Imperial Family members themselves. That had largely changed under the last two emperors who had grown more and more reserved and kept the doors between private and public life firmer than ever before. He wondered how firm the doors were in Patuania. “Who were they? What was it like? What happened?”

Jean frozen, liking over Kanatus with wide eyes as recognition clicked into his brain. He looked from the Paras to the woman Andeja was dancing with, and though they had different hair, their icy aura was enough to connect him. He looked back at Kanatus, and was surprised to find that he was not at all what he had expected of the Paras. Where most might not concern themselves much with what lay belong the borders of the empire, much less across the mountains to the far and frigid north, Jean had always excelled at his studies. He knew the leaders of each nation, by name if not by faces

“You’re the Paras,” Jean said, “the one who doesn’t like women.”

[Patuania]

Kanatus winced internally at the way Jean made his comment. A part of him had expected something along that line of response. The Paras was not unaware of his reputation south of the Alos, and not that he cared, but he did find it a bit of something unjust. He picked up a pair of glasses from a passing waiter and handed one to Jean.

“I admit, they aren’t to my liking,” Kanatus said, a mask of ease on his face as he winked at Jean. “Though is suspect in that we are in the same regiment.”

[Colfico]

Felix thought and said “A wide variety, although one of the primary ones is the blue catfish, due to it both being widely available and possessing a lot of meat for its size. However bass, trout, sunfish, pike and even walleye and bowfin, and those are just the common, widely caught fish, the river itself has more than a hundred documented species. They are prepared in a variety of ways, fried, boiled, stewed and grilled, and often accompanied by hardy vegetables such as carrots, squash and beans of various types. Colfico benefits from having rich flood plains that are the result of the river itself, and enjoys very prosperous farmland, even if it is not as industrially developed in places as other nations.” He then said “it’s why Colfico is content with the land that it has, there is no real need for the Commonwealth to expand.”

[Kingdom of Derita]

Jean accepted the glass from the Paras, but his smile, while remaining polite, didn’t quite reach his eyes. Nor did his drink reach his lips as he instead cradled it in his hands. He wasn’t sure what he had expected from the Paras, but flirtatious deflection had certainly not been what Jean, if he were a beating man (which he wasn’t), would have guessed.

“I am not so sure I’d see us in the same camp. You see, while I may not want to sleep with women,” Jean said softly but with a steel undertone, “I steel know how to treat them with respect,” certainly assured as the youngest and only boy in his parent’s home with three elder sisters, “like a decent human being.”

“Oh, my,” Cel said, mostly to herself as Felix listed the many and varied types of fish and the ways that the Colficoans ate them. Admittedly she didn’t recognize many, save sunfish, which made a delicious stew. (Cel however was unknowingly mistaken as the sunfish of Aukusan stew fame and the sunfish of the mighty Great Colfico River were two different type of fish, which happened to share the same name. One can imagine the amusement and shock the pair would have if they pointed out the two creatures only to find them quite different)

“Oh, it must be so interesting to leave around so much farmland. I’ve lived my entire life in the City, and I’ve always found it comforting knowing that there are so many people around me. Being in a little village, surely it must feel a bit isolated?”

[Patuania]

Paras Kanatus held his glass carefully as he listened to Jean, mildly annoyed at the uncloaked insult coming from the Deritain’s lips. He was lucky that they were such pretty lips, or otherwise his annoyance may have quickly become anger. He heard the steel of his tone as if it were that of a sword. Instead he found himself teasing the idea of sparing with the younger man. Though he would have preferred a very different type of sword fight with him, he saw no harm in a battle of words and politics. Kanatus had not arisen to be Paras purely because of his name after all. He started to set his trap and mark the metaphorical battlefield in his mind.

“”What,” Kanatus said, studying his glass, “makes you think I do not respect women?”

[Colfico]

Felix nodded and said “With the civil war over, it is a peaceful, quiet life, however I have never lived in a farming village myself. I grew up in the mountain village of Hukiasha, which is near the Visari Temple in the north western mountains, we don’t have as much farmland there, and what we do farm is very tough and rugged crops that can survive the harsh mountain climate.” He then said “However, the majority of Colficos population, and where I have spent most of my recent life, is found on the river, rather than out in the countryside, and for a variety of reasons. The river is the heart of Colfico, both figuratively and literally. You can travel completely from the southern end of the country, to the northern most end by river the entire way. You would be very hard pressed to find someone living in Colfico who has not spent at least some time near or on that river. In fact, it even affects the designs of many of the vehicles the military uses, you will notice that Colficoan vehicles are rarely any heavier than thirty tons, because they need to be light enough to cross the bridges that cross cross the river, or be ferried across by water.”

He then said “It is why until recently Colfico has lagged behind with roads and railways, it was simply easier and cheaper to travel by water than overland for the majority of people.”

[Kingdom of Derita]

Jean let out a short harsh laugh, entirely devoid of humor. The audacity of the Paras was strange and still not quite what he had expected. It felt like the northern dictator was like some creature lurking in a river, stirring up muck and mud every time Jean thought he had him pinned down and making the waters murky.

“That must be a joke right?”

“Oh, interesting,” said Cel as she took in Felix’s words. “The Empire is so vast, it’s hard to imagine traveling from one end to the other so easily.” She blushed. “I mean, my heavens, I find it hard to get from Old Billionaires Row to the waterfront. So much of the city is still built up that it’s rather easy to get lost in it. Though most people don’t sail up the Aukusa River, the delta is always full of ships, and it is the only way to get over to Vatoria. And they come in every kind. Mostly merchants vessels, but there are ferries and East Harbor had the best floating restaurants.”

[Patuania]

Paras Kanatus leaned back and tilted his head back just enough that he had to look down at Jean. He kept his voice calm and conversational. Like looping long lengths of wire as he prepared his snare.

“Not at all. I admit, I am not exactly known for joking.” Kanatus said with a stony gaze at the Deritain. “The reason I ask, and the reason that I think you will find yourself struggling to come up with a better answer than mere deflection is that the truth is, I respect women a great deal. A great deal indeed more than most men do.”

[Kingdom of Derita]

Jean furrowed his eyebrows. The Paras could not be serious. He simply could not be. Though the Paras didn’t look like the type of man who would joke around. Though, again, he didn’t look like the type of man who would flirt with Jean, so look could be deceiving with the man. Still, he felt a chill at his words. As if he could sense that the Paras wasn’t lying. Or at least didn’t seem to think that he was lying. And that made Jean curious.

“You called women, and I quote, ‘villainous creatures whispering poison into the ears of men’. That’s an abhorrent and perfect example of misogyny. A twisted belief that you seem determined to spread across the continent as a way to dehumanize innocent women. Tell me, does that sound the least bit respectful?”

[Patuania]

Kanatus smiled. He was impressed that the young lord had such a quote memorized. Though he suppose that Jean did strike him as the studious type. Smart. He had not had that in any of his previous paramours. No, he had mostly stuck to pretty faces. But this one. He seem to posses that rare combination of both. Even if he was wrong. He was wrong in a intellectually consistent way that the Paras could dissect.

“I fear, my lord, while your quotation is impeccably recited,” said Kanatus, “your quote is incorrect. You see. I didn’t say that.” I might agree with it, in a certain particular way, Kanatus thought to himself, but kept that thought to himself. “My dear friend Juhu Valkea said that. He has always been very passionate in his use of language. Quite creative don’t you think?”

[Kingdom of Derita]

Jean crossed his arms and let out a huff through his nose. In part in frustration and in part embarrassment at having quoted the wrong Patuanian. He wasn’t used to being incorrect. Nor was he used to having conversations, much less debates with world leaders. It was atypically quite easy to win against the like if Keoni or Frederick and Kanatus was proving to be a more competent orator. But part of that he was sure was the fact that the debate was in a way, about the Paras, certainly his policies. He of course would have crafted a thousand different angles that justified his own narrow minded view of the world. Jean just need to poke a hole in the Paras’s twisted internal logic.

“Often it is those who are great orators and linguists who are the worse and most dangerous of monsters, for they know how to speak to the heart of people and twist into a weapon of their own designs. Valkea is such a monster, but I doubt he twisted your heart. You may not have written his pamphlets, but it is no secret that you prompt them, and you stand oppose to women, especially those in power. You give the likes of Valkea not only a voice, but also amplify it.”

[Colfico]

Felix nodded and said “From north to south it is easier due to the river, but on the flip side of the same coin, the river makes travel from the eastern border of Colfico to the western border more difficult, although that is as much a blessing as it is a curse, since it makes actually taking Colfico without controlling the river a very difficult feat indeed.” He then said “Colfico has its share of both river side and floating restaurants, mainly because it is easier to get to them from the river for most people while live on its shores. The fact is, a simple wooden or steel boat is cheaper than a car, and a boat doesn’t normally require a road to travel.” He then said “However these days it has proven a double edged sword, while it means Colfico is less reliant on automobiles, it also means that there is more work to do to make automotive transit over land more viable for the average person.”

He then thought and said “But it has led also to very unique developments, Colfico fields a large and well equipped brown water navy, including a small force of large, well armed river monitors, effectively armored cruisers with flat bottoms designed for travel in shallow water. They are effectively large, floating, mobile artillery batteries that the military can move up and down the river as needed. They are also used in coastal defense, however their usefulness in blue water engagements was already limited, and they are swiftly being rendered obsolete in blue water combat by new combat systems. However, they do make for quite a sight while traveling the river, and their usefulness for controlling the river means they likely won’t exit service anytime soon.”

[Kingdom of Derita]

Cel nodded her head. The conversation had drifted into the sort of technical jargon outside her scope of interest and knowledge, that she didn’t understand. She didn’t know what blue or brown water meant, and by the sound of the last one she was too afraid to ask. So she instead nodded her head long. She would consult sn encyclopedia latter or perhaps find a nice newspaper article that broke it down for her.

“Oh, I see,” Cel lied. “And you said that you grew up in a mountain village? What made you move down to live by the river? It sounds like quite the change in environment.”

[Colfico]

Felix siled and said "It is part of my....pilgrimage, you could call it, as a member of the Visari Order, as a peacekeeper to the order, we are sent out to seek balance in our lives, while also gathering as much knowledge and experience as I can, before I eventually return to the temple to live out the rest of my life, and pass down what I have learned from the world. Moving down to the river has partially been part of that pilgrimage, and partially due to my joining the army during the latter years of the Colficoan Civil War."

He reached to his neck, and pulled a small necklace out from behind his uniform, a small circle with two halves, one dark, and one light, before speaking again. "I am simply the current generation taking part in a tradition that has been partaken in for more than two millennia."

[Patuania]

Kanatus was still as a statue as he listened to Hean make his points, not because the Kanatus was guilty or concerned, as some found themselves frozen when confronted. Instead the Paras did so because he was interested in Jean’s words as he carefully focused on each of them and wove them into his mental argument. When Jean was done, the Paras was silent for a half a heart beat longer than necessary. Then he struck

“Words are dangerous. They have caused more suffering and death than any army. But words are not like other weapons. With bullets and bombs battleships, there is a limited, however massive, supply of them. And getting your hands on them, it is often quite difficult.” Kanatus titled his head slightly, looking around the glittering courtyard. “There is a reason that states have been able to monopolized violence after all.”

The Paras turned back to Jean and took another step forward. “But words? Words can be used by anyone. They are endless in both their creation and their effects. You southerners. You Deritains are very good, at words.” The Paras circled Jean,but his eyes stated fixed on him, widening everything so slightly as they devoured his form. “In the north, brute strength often decides how we do things. It is cold, it is harsh, but it is fair, just like our lands. Just like our people.”

“But here,” Kanatus stopped next to Jean and gestured to the crowd who were mostly still transfixed by the royals dancing. “You all play by a much more subtle game. One with… darker implications. Your true question I know is do I agree with Valkea? Yes. To which raises the question of how is that respectful?”

Kanatus crooked a finger beneath Jean’s chin. “It is respectful,” said Kanatus, so close to Jean that he dropped his voice to whisper that he sung into Jean’s ear, “for it treats your women for what they are. Dangerous.”