The Thorntons 2.1: The Saga Continues [AMW Only]

[Chrinthanium]

Press Room, Imperial Palace

As the normal chatter which occupied the Press Room at the Imperial Palace simmered down, Marjorie Ross, the Imperial Press Secretary stepped to the podium. Her bright smile--always a welcomed sight--greeted the inquizitive reporters waiting for their turn.

"Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen," she spoke, "I hope that you had a good night's rest and are ready to go. So, we'll get this thing started, shall we?"

Marjorie started, "First, His Imperial Majesty will be departing Sydney in a few hours for his European tour. This tour is intended to reaffirm Chrinthani positions to our allies and to further the bonds of friendship we have with Europe. This marks the first major international tour of His Imperial Majesty, and hopefully, there will be more to come. The emperor is scheduled to meet with Alderman Ahler in Nibelunc first. Emperor Nathaniel is expected to return sometime around the 6th or 7th of January."

"Second, the reason for his delay is the arrival of the Caliph here in Sydney. He felt is impolite to not meet with the Islamic leader, especially since they came in friendship to the empire. His Imperial Majesty will discuss opening trading relations with the Caliphate, as well as discuss the role of Islam within the Imperial Federation of Chrinthanium. Later in the day, Prime Minister Long will take the Caliph on a guided tour of Sydney, where the Caliph will be permitted to speak to the Imperial Congress."

"There is also the urgent matter stemming from the recent reports of the Scarlett Belle incident in Paris the other day. They committed the acts in the soverign Kingdom of France and, as such, are subject to the laws and penalties issued by the French courts. In no way is His Imperial Majesty willing or wanting to interfere with the judicial process in France. The Emperor is also greatly saddened at the sheer destructive force which took the Parisian hotel. His Imperial Majesty will personally apologize to Their Most Christian Majesties for these acts. In an added step, Chrinthani Records will pay to help restore the priceless portraits damaged in the hotel if at all possible. All future tour dates have been cancelled for the duo. The Imperial Government has contacted representatives for Scarlett Belle, requesting they return to Chrinthanium immediately, where an inquiry will be held by the House of Representatives.

"His Imperial Majesty has not issued a comment as to the relationship between himself and Prince Theseus other than to authorize me to say that the two men spent a quiet evening together discussing many topics and items of interest. Are there any questions?"

A raised hand quickly came from Luke Dodson, reporter for the Chrinthani Television News Network, "Ms Ross, is it true that Prince Theseus spent the night in the palace with the emperor? And, if so, is this the start of a potentially new relationship?"

Marjorie cleared her throat as she answered, "As I stated, I am only authorized to state that Prince Theseus spend a quiet evening with His Imperial Majesty. The Imperial Palace does not comment on the private life of the emperor or the Imperial family. Secondly, I cannot comment as to the extent of the relationship between the Byzantine Ambassador and His Imperial Majesty, next question."

Bob Segal, of Melbourne News Daily raised his hand, "Will Scarlett Belle face trial in Paris, and if they are tried there, will there also be a trial here for any laws which may have been broken?"

"If they are tried in France, they will not be tried here. The House inquiry has been called for by the Prime Minister to have the duo and their entourage held accountable to the Imperial Government for their actions abroad, next question!"

"Ms. Ross," spoke Mark Spelling of the Imperial News Network, "Do you think that the more relaxed drug laws here in Chrinthanium may have led to their misunderstanding about the use of drugs while in France?"

"No, Mark, I do not. Though marijuana is legal in the Imperial Federation, all other recreational drugs are not. They would be in as much trouble in Sydney as they are in Paris if they were found to be in posession of, or under the influence of cocaine. Next question!"

Ian Gross of the Sydney Morning Herald raised his hand, "There are reports that at a late night gathering at The Club in downtown Sydney, Prince Theseus and Emperor Nathaniel kissed. We have several persons claiming to have witnessed this. Is there any light you can shed on this?"

"No, we do not comment on the private life of His Imperial Majesty. Please, do not ask me any more questions as to the status of any type of social relationship between Prince Theseus and Emperor Nathaniel. Next question."

Frank Glick of Perth Star News raised his hand, "Is His Imperial Majesty aware of the stigma that will be attached to him if he enters into a relationship with the Byzantine Ambassador before his divorce proceedings are finalized?"

Marjorie raised an eye brow at that particular question, "He is the emperor of the Imperial Federation of Chrinthanium. I am most certain he is aware of any and all implications of any and all of his actions at any point in time. Last question!"

"Will the emperor be taking Prince Theseus along with him to Europe?" asked Jim Davis of the Aotearoa News Network without raising his hand.

"I decline comment, good day, ladies and gentlemen," she stated as she quickly departed the Press Room.

As she entered her office a short time later, she looked at her assistant as she spoke, "If he's going to fuck the Byzantine Ambassador, fine. Don't leave me to try to deal with the flurry of reporters because of it. If he'd stop thinking with his dick and start thinking with his brain, he'd realize at some point in time, people are going to watch who goes in and out of the palace. God, this is going to be a nightmare for a while, Gracie."

"Well," Gracie replied, "he is young. I mean, most guys are walking hard-ons at twenty-two."

"Well, if he'd wank once in a while, rather than find a new boytoy, then maybe my job would be a hell of a lot easier. They were relentless about this, Gracie. It was like it didn't really matter what else was happening. Who Nate fucks is always the top story. And what about Prince Theseus? To just hop into bed with the emperor?"

Gracie chuckled, "I know if i were in Theseus' shoes, I'd not wait till dinner was finished. I'd tackle that fine bloke and ride him like a Chrinthani cattle horse."

Marjorie chuckled slightly, "Yeah, well, that wasn't the response I was looking for, but be careful what you ask for, right?"

"Look, this is a good thing," replied Gracie as her words captured the attention of Ms. Ross, "You see, if he's banging Theseus for a while, and it ends quickly, we could spin it as just a flight of fancy. Two ships passing in the night sort of thing. I mean, the emperor is under tremendous stress, right? This could be his way of relieving it. People need an outlet you know."

"Outlets are writing music to slit your wrist to, playing the piano, putting fists through walls, not fucking the cousin of Emperor Tiberius IV, Patriarch of the Byzantine Catholic Church and all around conservative hero." Marjorie stated as she flopped into a chair in front of her assistant's desk. "Still, I think if this thing ends fast, we can pass it off as a summer romance. Nate's always good for being portrayed as the most permiscuous head of state in the world, so this would fit right in."

[Kyr Shorn]

Offices of the Prime Minister of Chrinthanium, Sydney

It was with a mixture of feelings that Her Royal Highness, Princess Yvette de France, the French Ambassador to the Chrinthani Empire sat before the Prime Minister Heather Long and began to read out the official list of charges that would be made public in a few hours time, along with the information (so far) collected about the "Scarlett Belle Incident".

"Prime Minister," Yvette began formally in a firm business-tone, "A total of seven members of the entourage of the pop-group Scarlett Belle will be facing drugs charges of various degrees, relating to illegal possession of a number of drugs, not to mention the bodyguard who illegally discharged his weapon in public, putting many lives in grave danger."

The Princess then opened the thick folder she had brought with her and handed the Prime Minister a complete list of names and the charges that they faced.

Amy West*: Cocaine posession, Amphetamines posession, Posession of Prescription Drugs wt out a Prescription, intent to distribute
Lawrence "Larry Three-Balls" Bartlette*: Illegal Discharge of a firearm, Reckless endangerment, posession of amphetamines
Rebecca Sanderson: Cocaine posession, Esctasy posession, intent to distribute
Kelly Harris*: Cocaine posession, Assault and Battery, Assault of Law Enforcement Agents, Resisting arrest
Sofie Lamb*: Cocaine posession, Esctasy posession, posession of Prescription Drugs wt out a Prescription, intent to distribute
Robert Brooks*: Cocaine posession, Heroin posession, intent to distribute
Christinabella "Lady C" Jordan: Drunk and Disorderly Conduct, Public Nudity

"The ones with asteriks all failed drug tests and tested positive for the substances that they have been charged with posessing and not to mention using," Yvette noted to Heather, "The Chrinthani government will also be sent their samples for your own testing of course."

"Now on to what has to be the sorriest part of this incident, the two portraits that were damaged were one of Picassos portraits of his wife Jacqueline, in this case Jacqueline with Flowers and the other was a version of Maya with Doll."

"On the open market these works would have fetched thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of Francs, an initial examination of both portraits by Art Restorers who work for the Louvre has revealed that while the Maya portrait can be saved, the Jacqueline one might not be salvageable. However that doesn't mean that they won't try, though it will be quite expensive."

"As for the duo of Scarlett Belle," Yvette continued, not even bothering to hide her disgust, "They have managed to dodge the various drug charges that were considered by the skin of their teeth. Their drug tests only turned up large amounts of alcohol, marijuana, and sleeping pills that they both possessed prescriptions for by a Chrinthani doctor, Dr. Jacob T. L. Tewdor. Needless to say both alcohol and marijuana are legal under current French laws so no charges can be filled in this regard."

"However even though the prescriptions were legal, the amounts that they are being prescribed are quite... suspicious, our medical examiners have concluded that they are being over-prescribed by their doctor, though we cannot determine if they are complicit in this or if they are being had."

Yvette then glanced down at the names of the two pop stars, their stage names were Christina and Carmen Belle, even though neither one of them were related, their actual names were Jasmine Cohen and Elaine Landgrab.

"Jasmine and Elaine," Yvette stated, using their actual names, "Will be required to pay for the damage done to the hotel rooms before they are allowed to leave France, since their record label will pay for the restoration of the Picasso works they will not have to stay for that. They will also have to pay fines for various minor offensives ranging from disturbing the peace to disruption of traffic."

"I have been told that they are expected to have made full restitution within the day and will be back in Chrinthanium in 24 hours, they will not be allowed to legally enter France for a year, starting on Jan 1, 2011." the Princess noted before finishing with, "The other members of their entourage who are currently being held without bail will not be allowed to return to the Empire until they answer in a court of law for the charges against them, and if, convicted will serve out their sentences in France before being deported."

"Do you have any questions Prime Minister?" Yvette asked after wrapping up the official French report about the "situation".

[Chrinthanium]

Office of Prime Minister Heather Long

Heather sat in her chair, reviewing the evidence put forth by Princess Yvette. As the list of offenses was read to her, she cringed at the sheer magnitude of the debauchery which had taken place. For Heather this was not the part of the job they talked about. Having to deal with what amounted to a complete and total disregard for the law and people. No matter how lax the Chrinthani may seem, adherence to the law was something that was expected.

"Your Royal Highness," started Heather after Yvette finished her report, "I assure you that His Imperial Majesty in no way doubts the findings of the French Government. Indeed he has gone on record as stating that they are subject to the laws of France in this matter and, as such, shall also be rendered unto judgement and punishment by the same. There will be, of course, a House inquiry about the entire incident which is the most embarrassing international incident in the last fifty years."

"The entire affair is most distressing for us, Your Royal Highness. We feel that the ultimate punishment would be to revoke their passports upon their return, never to be reissued. We expect better of our citizens when they are abroad. While we cannot control their behavior, we expect they will at least act civilized, not like spoiled brats run amok. I don't think that we can apologize enough for this entire situation. We are completely and totally embarrassed by this. If there is anything that we can do to assist in the restoration of the priceless portraits, the motel rooms, or anything else, please do not hesitate to inform me. I assure you it will be done." Heather then relaxed slightly.

------------

Nathaniel's Private Quarters

Nathaniel browsed the latest news coming from the internet after his message from Theseus. Though he disliked his personal life being talked about so much, and in such fashion, by the media, he still found it funny that with everything going on, his love life still ranks as the number one news story.

It didn't take a genius to figure that out. The Chrinthani's loved Nathaniel--a fact which was etched in stone. Everytime Nathaniel started dating, it made news. There were reporters clamoring to get interviews with friends of his latest boyfriend. There were the paparazzi who relentlessly snapped photo after photo with the emperor and his beau. It wasn't a new idea either. This type of attention to the love life of Nathaniel started when he was around 15 years old when photos surfaced of him talking to a lovely lady a year older. It may stem from their love affair of the young and idealistic man. It may stem from their thirst for gossip. Or, it may just be that even if other cultures deemed his behavior as inappropriate, in Chrinthanium, his playboy status was part of his charm.

The Chrinthani were permiscuous to say the least. Their attitudes towards sex were quite relaxed. The strong liberal mentality of the Chrinthani lent itself to such practices. It wasn't considered bad for a man or a woman to have slept around in high school, college, or indeed in their adult life. Despite their religious history, the Chrinthani were not afraid to simply go to a bar, find someone interesting, have a romp, then go about their lives as if nothing ever happened.

Still, Nathaniel worried that such attention would be too much for the young Prince Theseus. His thoughts became worrysome with imagined conversations between Theseus and himself and Theseus' concerns over such publicity. Whether or not he believed that a social relationship with Theseus would lead to anything more than a summer fling, Nathaniel was attracted to Theseus. The last thing he wanted was to hurt him.

After reading the gossip stories about what may have transpired between the two that night, Nathaniel replied promptly to Theseus' e-mail

Theseus,

Don't worry too much about these stories. The press are more interested in selling papers or increasing ratings than they are about reporting actual news. I hope that such attention isn't too much for you. I've been dealing with it for years, and even I sometimes become overwhelmed with their sheer dedication to making public my private life.

When I return from Europe, I fully expect us to spend time together. The other night was great, and I don't think I've been that happy with someone for a little while now.

Don't worry about Tiberius. I know how to handle him and his conservative agenda. I won't base my opinions of Byzantium on him. It will be the people themselves that will give me the feel for how the Byzantine Empire truly is.

Look forward to seeing you as soon as possible,

Nate

[Kyr Shorn]

Office of Prime Minister Heather Long

"I thank you on the behalf of the French Nation," Yvette replied with the first smile she had given during this entire meeting. "It is the hope of Their Most Christian Majesties that this situation will be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction quickly."

"Oh and before I forget," the Princess continued, "Of the seven who have been charged, Christinabella Jordan has plead No Contest and has already paid the fines associated with public intoxication and nudity. She will also be back in Chrinthanium within the day, though on an earlier flight than the Scarlett Belle girls." Yvette then took a breath and a drink of water before continuing.

"It is the opinion of some in the government that due to the relatively minor nature of her charges, and that she did not test positive for illegal substances that she be dealt with some clemency. But with the understanding that this will be her first and only get out of jail free card."

After wrapping up this aspect of the meeting, and adding the caveat that she would be sending a representative to the House Inquiry on behalf of the French Embassy. Yvette then presented various minor issues that would need to be resolved before hitting upon the more politically sensitive subject.

"Has the Emperor given any thought to Their Most Christian Majesties offer to lean on the media outlets to avoid negative coverage?" Yvette asked with some trepidation.

[Chrinthanium]

The Prime Minister slightly cringed at the thought of the press being supressed in order to spin the Imperial visit. He would reach down and take her cup of tea and sip it before she spoke, "Your Royal Highness, while His Imperial Majesty is thankful that Their Most Christian Majesties are so respectful of the image of himself, he's diametrically opposed to any and all censorship of the media. He considers the freedom of the people and the press to agree or disagree publically as one of the pillars of freedom." She returned her cup to it's saucer after she spoke. She placed a stern look upon her face while brandishing a smile to assert the position of Emperor Nathaniel, as well as herself. "In fact, Emperor Nathaniel would be thoroughly distraught if such censorship were to take place."

She shifted slightly, leaning a tad forward, "See, Nate is really into civil liberties. But, there is more to it than he just believes in the rights of the people." She took a bit of a breath before she continued, "It's public knowledge here, but it may not have filtered its way into the international media outlets, but when he was 20, he was excommunicated from the Catholic Church because of his public declaration of his sexual orientation. The ordeal was very messy for the church, to say the least. Though he was the Crown Prince of Chrinthanium, he was scorned by those who seemed to be his friends in the Church. Some of his friends at University also seemed to shun him rather publically. He was very upset by these events. In his mind, he can't seem to grasp these prejudices. For him, anything which would be used to restrict, deny, or otherwise impair the rights of the People in any situation is simply unacceptable to him. Even if it means bring protested."

[Kyr Shorn]

Office of Prime Minister Heather Long

"Of course Prime Minister," the Princess replied, "I'll be sure to inform Their Majesties that the Emperor would prefer not to have the French media, leaned upon." Yvette however neglected to mention that the various major leaders and groups involved would be warned through unofficial channels not to protest too loudly, nor to disrupt the actual meetings between Nathaniel and the Dual Monarchs of France.

Thus with this particular subject dealt with, the meeting turned back to some last minute details before the Princess Yvette de France departed once they were both finished.

On the limo ride back to her luxury apartment, having decided to shun her beach home due to the growing threat of hurricane weather. Yvette checked the news feeds, in Chrinthanium the news of Hurricane Barry was dominating the cycle.

She sighed and clicked out of the internet just as her vehicle made the final trek home again, then she would freshen up and then call Peter and see what his plans were.

[Chrinthanium]

Surfers Paradise, Pacifica

The normally busy streets of the resort town lay dormant as the last remaining signs of life--the hearty surfers--try their best to ride the monster waves being created by the impending Hurricane Barry. A powerful hurricane much farther south than normal--even during this time of year--certainly gave most people in the area from Sunshine Coast to Port Macquarie pause as they decided to hightail it away from the danger zone and to safer locations. Even Brisbane, some 45 miles away from Surfer's Paradise and the Gold Coast found itself evacuating those fearful of Barry's wrath.

The Empire braced itself for a direct hit from the most powerful tropical cyclone recorded in the Chrinthani and Coral Seas over the last 100 years. Borded windows and metal shutters gave evidence of the severity of the situation in the Southern coast of Pacifica and Northern Coast of New South Wales. The noise of cars and people laughing being replaced by silence as even the local birds new better than to hang around before the storm made its presence known.

Provincial and Federal agencies decended upon the locales in the warning area to position themselves for the aftermath of a catastrophic storm which could redefine the entire lifestyle of the area for years to come. News crews clamored to get their cameras and reporters in position for the Storm of the Century before it crossed the coastline somewhere between Port Macquarie and Sunshine Coast in the next day.

[Europe - Prussia]

Sydney, Chrinthanium

As the Dassault Falcon was approaching the tarmac of the Sydney Airport, the Crown Princess and newly appointed ambassador to Chrinthanium Alexandra of Madrid was reviewing the last documents related to her new position. Probably this could look very normal, if it wasn't for two small details: first, as Crown Princess of Valendia, it was her duty assist to the upcoming Coronation Ceremony of the new Crown Prince of Sicily, yet she was here, in the other side of the world. The second issue was, by so far, much more technical: the aircraft was arriving to Chrinthanium ahead of schedule; very ahead of schedule.

Alexandra, like his sibling the Emperor, felt a strong dislike for most of the members of his family, however the Princess didn't harbored any kind of hatred towards his relatives like the Valendian Monarch, rather the Princess felt.....fear, pure and simple. That's why everytime she had the chance she avoided them.

Closing the folder that she was reading, the Princess turned her gaze towards the small window; the Falcon was already resting on the tarmac, and outside a car sent by the Embassy was waiting for her arrival.

"Your Highness, we're arrived. However, I strongly object your decision to arrive ahead of schedule" said a Valkyrie, the Princess' assistant, while leaving the cockpit

"I know, but I prefer it like that. For what Lady Bles told me, the greetings from the Chrinthani goverment to the exiled royalties of France and Byzantium were quite pompous, and even Nathaniel came to greet them. I don't like that. I came here as an ambassador, not for a State Visit, and I prefer the treatement given to any ambassador....... I don't want facilities due my status. Also, I want to go to the embassy as quickly as possible and then present my credentials in the Palace" said the Princess, while preparing to leave the aircraft.

"Very well Your Highness. However, please keep in mind that you didn't came here as a exiled with her head down in shame; you came here with your head tall and proud, with a request of the High Chancellor, as part of your training as Crown Princess, but above all,on your own free will" said the Valkyrie, while leading her liege to the entrance of the aircraft, which was already open.

With a soft smile crossing her lips, the princess stood up, followed suit her assistant, and started to descend the stairs.



((OOC: Chrin, this post is part of a plot so it's up to you if you want to answer it or not))

[Chrinthanium]

It wasn't without notice that a Valendian plane had entered Chrinthani airspace and indeed landed at Sydney Airport. Nathaniel was otherwise busy, and the Prime Minister and Crown Prince Ryan were otherwise engaged as well, so the idea of a large greeting party was not possible. However, Nathaniel was neither late nor early. He was always on time, unless something really required his attention. The rather quick and sudden appearance of the new ambassador would be greeted in his mind as something oddly unfamiliar to him.

Upon the return of Nathaniel, who was busy elsewhere, the Emperor would receive the credentials of the new Valendian ambassador.

The other ominous news, that of Hurricane Barry, continued to dominate the entirety of the Chrinthani media as it's 165MPH winds, battering waves and estimated 15-20 foot storm surge caused the greatest panic in the empire since the Protestant Coversion.