The Arcadie Summit (CoDN ONLY)

[Paglaum]

RULES:

1. Only roleplaying members of The Coalition of Democratic Nations may post here. Anybody else will be ignored, and asked to leave.
2. I and The Land of the Ephyral moderate this RP, so our word is law. If I tell you to stop, or to change something, do so.

---

THE CANAL CONUNDRUM

After the abysmal failure that was the First Panama Conference, the nations of Ascoobis and Paglaum have called for a second conference to be held in Paglaum's capital, Arcadie, in order to ensure that the hostilities in Nordamy aren't once again reignited. All involved powers have been invited to this meeting.

[Nordamy]

Caracas, Paglaum
The motorcade made it's way through the city to the meeting place under intense security. The diplomatic team kept receiving updates through text messages

07:55 AM

Army Reserves are on standy. Washington continues to send troops

07:56 AM
Coast Guard stops ship near Belize State. Ship attempted to block ports, origin unknown

The team arrived at the site, they were early for the summit. A crowd had gathered outside as they made their way into the underground parking lot. Some cheered them on while others burned Mexican flags. The head diplomat, Loki Ruiz, gathered the documents and stepped out of the limo and made his way to the elevator with his colleagues and security team. The team was armed with MP5 submachine guns, Sig Sauer handguns and M1A1Trenchgun shotguns.

The team made their way to the conference room and began assembling their documents in preparation for the Ascoobian diplomats. All the while, they kept receiving updates

08:20 AM
All Schools and Universities closed. Will be used as emergency centers

[Ascoobis]

Arcadie, Paglaum

6 A.M. Local Time

"This is the last time we take transport advice from the Cermans. Damn East Governative, I tell you.", grumbled Diplomat Ceasar Flores to no one in particular as the Ascoobian Delegation rumbled along Arcadie's pristine streets in a demilitarized, white Stryker Armored Personnel Carrier. It was escorted by a Paglaumian motorcade. Although, thankfully, there is no awkward traffic on their route from the airport due to the early hour.

The team futilely attempts last-minute preparations as all conversation was drowned out by the obnoxiously loud engine. They were forced to pass notes around. Finally having enough with how juvenile the practice seemed. He joined in, ripping the Sports Page from a local newspaper, started scribbling, and motioned for everyone to pay attention. "No, we won't be as passive as we were last time and let Washinton dictate policy that will effect Ascoobis most of all. We will be firm, and will not accept what was offered at the last conference. Instead, our ideal goal is to reach a sensible middle ground. I see no reason why both parties can't, with the right diplomats, in some way get we what we want. It's been six years, all parties have to get off their high horse. Today is that day.

Simply, they want sovereignty and we want assurance that ATCO interests and world trade are not in jeopardy. We've deliberated enough. Freshen up as we'll soon be arriving."

Flores' phone vibrated and he grimaced. Likely more pressure to see these negotiations through, he had heard more than enough on the flight here. He ignored it and took a deep breath and gathered himself.

30 Minutes Later

The massive diesel-guzzling behemoth arrived in front of the conference building. It was an extravagant complex. Clearly chosen as a meeting place to put the minds of the tense foreigners at ease. This was a clear contrast to the barren meeting halls at the Nord Capital, which was at the time a ruined city. In hindsight, it was easy to see how nothing got done in such a hostile and uninviting environment.

It seems that they had arrived first, rushing a plane over here in the middle of the night during all of the chaos had paid off after all. Flores and his diplomatic aides were greeted an accompanied by Paglaumian security forces to the appropriate conference room. It should be noted that unlike the delegation under De Silva, Flores has chosen not to be under the protection of the Royal Guard. Instead, as a gesture of goodwill, he has entrusted his safety and that of every present Ascoobian to their Paglaumian hosts.

The Ascoobians are here, thus begins the waiting game. The delegation takes a break to watch the sunrise. For all they know, if things don't go right it may be the last one they ever see...

[Nordamy]

6:30 AM, Local Time

The Ascoobian team had arrived early. One of the delegates stepped out for a smoke. Despite cannabis being the commonly used among the rich, they were not about to break cultural norms. This evening they might. They stuck to tobacco for now to be respectful. An Ascoobian joined them

"You have a light?"
He asked

"Sija, I do"
One replied lightning his cigarette.

7:00 AM. Local Time

They all assembled in the conference room and laid out there case

"We wish to start off with a formal apology about the previous team, they were assembled in a haste and not fully prepared for the reactions."

They continued on

"We know you wish to protect your staked interests in the canal. You know we wish for sovereignty of the canal. It is apparent no one really wishes to back down because national pride makes us blind to the issues that matter. We should take the time to come forth with our arguments and then a solution where everyone is satisfied and disappointed. You may go first if you wish".

The diplomatic team began laying out documents as the Ascoobians readied.

"On a different note, the emotional diplomat was promptly fired for his actions. Why he was put on is beyond me but, we
had to update you on that failure of a meeting. Why a bundle of emotions was made a diplomat is stunning"

All the while, his phone kept pinging with updates on the situation in the canal zone.

[Allyrije]

Arcadie, Paglaum
7:00 AM, local time

The Antonov An-148, one possessed by each Government Ministry, of the Foreign Ministry touched down at Arcadie International Airport. As the Plane taxied to a safe distance from the runway, agents of the Hendárra'Révine began to move into their positions like clockwork. Moving stairs to the doors of the, assuredly, grand transport plane and parking the Karthspiri-made Mahindra-Ssangyong Chairman Saloons of the Government at the bottom of those very stairs; doors held open by, presumably, armed agents of the Hendárra'Révine.

Out of the plane stepped the Foreign Secretary, Arana Direnni, followed by a gaggle of Diplomats; all smartly dressed and carrying binders, presumably, containing important and sensitive documents. At the end of the line of diplomats was Kalarínn Medora Direnni; the commander of Karthspiri forces in Mexico and cousin of the Foreign Secretary. She began to adopt more of a brisk pace, catching up to her cousin at the bottom of the stairs, "Nil verhrallín ertilhrethínni." The Kalarínn pressed this point in quite an insistent manner.

The Foreign Secretary, now on the other side of the car from the Kalarínn, looked her dead in the eyes and began to respond in quite a well refined English accent, "firstly, my dear cousin, I'm no longer in the motherland and you're no longer in one of your pockets of Karthspiri minorities in Mexico so it would be best for us to speak in English before these negotiations."

The Kalarínn nodded and began to respond; speaking good English but in a thick Llarelli accent, "you know how I despise speaking this god-forsaken language but I will... for your sake. Do you intend to spit out a response to my point or are you happy enough to force me to speak English?"

The Foreign Secretary, now seated in the back of one of the cars with the Kalarínn now sat next to her, replied quite firmly, "Medora, my dear, you may be a lioness on the battlefield but you're a broken Camel in the negotiating room. You've an arse of stone and won't move an inch even when we may be able to wrap them round our finger and get something better; keep your mouth shut and look intimidating. If your input is needed, I'll call on you for it in either Karthspiri or Llarelli; I imagine few of the Shéls there know our tongue let alone our mother dialect."

The Kalarínn nods, a little reluctantly, and relaxes into her seat; staring out of the window as the airport changes to the highways of Arcadie - her thoughts interrupted only by the ordering of the drivers by her over zealous cousin.

[Ascoobis]

7 A.M. Local Time

Caesar waited as the minor diplomat left for another smoke break with a frown. Smoking is often looked down upon in Ascoobis, seen as a dirty activity, effects on one's health put aside.

Another aid whispered to him; "Paglaum's peacekeeping diplomats were apparently running late. Not a good sign, but what could be done?" Flores sighed in response. Directing his nervous teammate to take a seat. Things will have to begin without Paglaumian supervision. He made a mental note to update them on the progress achieved when they arrive.

Upon the Nord's arrival, Ascoobis' delegation took their seats as well. The Nords began their address. the Ascoobians were moved by the hospitality of the other party. What a sharp contrast to what was endured at the meeting in the ruins of Tenochtitlan. They turned to themselves in confusion. Surely the Nords were genuine? Until further notice, there is little reason to not take them at their word. They likely want this crisis resolved just as much as we do, the fledging economy must be increasingly saddled by the military spending required to attempt to keep its neighbors at bay.

As the lead diplomat, Ceasar Flores spoke up from the group. "We will be accepting your apology with We will likely have to repeat this when the others arrive, but I suppose there is no shame in starting first. We considered your proposal at the last conference and believe that we have molded it into something fair with conditions for both of our parties.

1) First, civilian administration of the populations in the canal zone shall be relinquished to the Nord Confederate Government.

2) All assets of the former government in ATCO territory will be given over the Nord Confederacy.

3) The Nord Confederacy and the ATCO will recognize each other's governments and establish embassies and grow relations. Another crisis such as this shall not be allowed to repeat.

4) The Canal itself will fall into an indepenent triumvirate administration between the Nord Confederacy, ATCO, and Paglaum, as a neutral arbitrator. that will help the other two find a solution at points of disagreement. They will each appoint a single representative to a council that will be formed to govern over the canal itself. Both Nordmany and the ATCO will be able to post troops at the canal. But only as many as will be allowed by the Canal Council.

5) Whatever bilateral agreement that Nordamy has with other alliances, no military forces from these can be stationed north of the 25th Parallel on Nord soil.

6) ATCO and Nord warships will be able to traverse the canal unimpeded, however, warships of third parties will need to obtain permission from the Canal Council.

7) ATCO and Nord military forces at our borders will be drawn down to decrease tensions."

Flores waited for a reaction around the room before concluding. "This our first proposal. Feel free to prepare a response and what your side believes would be fair, and we'll proceed to discuss this further."

[Allyrije]

7:30am, Local time
The Karthspiri Delegation pulls up outside of the building. The Foreign Secretary and the Kalarínn exit their cars first, as protocol dictates, with the small army of minor Diplomats and civil servants following closely behind. The Foreign Secretary enters the room just as swiftly as she exited her car, taking a seat next to the Mexican Delegation and at the head of her own.

She rubs her eyes before beginning to speak, "Sorry we're a little late gentlemen. Our original flight out of the Empire was delayed due to Monsoon fears and our flight out of Haiti was more cautiously conducted than usual due to the ATCO's... confusing attempts at creating new precedents in contemporary diplomatic practices."

The Karthspiri Delegation begin to chat amongst themselves; the Foreign Secretary listening anxiously as her cousin, the Kalarínn, probed the Diplomats and Civil Servants for their views and suggestions. The Kalarínn looks straight across the table, staring directly at the Ascoobian Delegation, "Verhrethní lín Shélárra ylsrí í Samashadrí úl Prasatyvárr'25th Parallel tarál yl vill ín Samasri Independent-Triumvirate-Administration."

The Foreign Secretary begins to discuss further in Karthspiri before, seemingly, winning the argument. She looks around the table as she begins to address them in quite a calm manner, "Apologies but many among my delegation are either unable or unwilling to speak English at such negotiations; many believe speaking one of our mother tongues puts us at an advantage in many negotiations due to the relative isolation of our languages in international circles."

She clears her throat before continuing, "Now, if I may address the Karthspiri proposals, which you've so kindly adapted from the last meeting following our proposition of them, whilst we can accept the rules concerning the 25th Parallel due to it being in your security interests, and with all our Mexican bases south of that line, we must push for an inclusion on the 'Independent Administration' as, naturally, it's not in our best strategic interest to allow the needs and objectives of the Oriental Concordat to be sealed off from such an international artery."

She surveys the table, waiting for a response.

[Paglaum]

The diplomats weren't late this time, considering this was in Paglaum after all. By the time everyone had arrived, the Paglaumian politicians were already there. Among them, was none other than President Jessica Bernier.

There was a proper greeting from the Paglaumian government, of course. As always, the Paglaumians were surprisingly cordial. Mainly because as a neutral party, the nation very much had a vested interest in preventing another war in Mexico.

The Mexican Delegation was the first to speak, then the Ascoobian. Jessica maintained a neutral gesture as the Karthspirian delegates spoke among themselves, but innerly frowned. The comments rubbing her the wrong way. That said, if she was annoyed, she showed no sign of it. After the many parties spoke, the President spoke up:

"We do not see it necessary for such a distant party to be directly involved in the management and ownership of the canal." She said. Not liking the idea of Karthspiri troops, and such presence, within her continent.

"We also believe that the Unified Republics should be allowed to send troops in, to assist in this joint occupation, as a truly neutral party. We are rather concerned of tensions once again flaring up within our neighbour, as anything that happens in Mexico deeply affects us. Furthermore, we will also request to be included within this warship agreement."

"It will also be important to discuss how many troops are going to be allowed within the Panama Canal Area, and what ratios are to be established. As the Ascoobian delegate said, this issue could later be determined by the Canal Council, on a later meeting."

[Ascoobis]

Representative Flores paused at the Paglaumian President's disagreement towards the undue Kirthspiri influence in our hemisphere. As neutral as they may be, at least Paglaumians are self-respecting Americans that won't sell out the lowest bidder. The Ascoobian responded drily, with strained courtesy:

"I don't see any reason for this meeting to directly address the needs of the Oriental Concordant. As our fellow representative has pointed out, the claim that they need direct representation on a council over 16,000 kilometers away is rather ridiculous. While the last conference was about ending the Nord Civil War, which they were a belligerent in, this conference is not about the war. This about resolving an internal issue between the ATCO and the government of Nordamy. Most importantly, this is a North American affair. You don't see us forcing ourselves onto the management of the Singapore Strait, as important as it also is in world trade. The Kirthspiri are allied with the Nords, perhaps they can influence whom they choose as their representative at a later date, but that's not what this conference is about.

As for the worries of the Paglaumian delegation, I don't see why Paglaum can't be added into the warship clause in the next proposed draft."

He relaxes, waiting for a response from any party and his team mulling over any counterarguments that are at their disposal. The Karthspiri certainly aren't going to concede without a fight. What do the Nords see that is virtuous in this ally? Can they not see that they are merely being used and taken for fools in a geopolitical powergrab? It is no secret that the Karthspiri seek global dominance, to have us all under their thumb.This growing threat must be contained to its own sphere at any cost.

[Paglaum]

(Edited my post a bit, 'Scoobs. I think this is a more realistic reaction from Paglaum.)

[Ascoobis]

OOC: Oh, I'll have to edit mine as well.

I'll have it done in 2-3 hours.

Edit: Done.

[Allyrije]

Foreign Secretary Direnni smiles at Representative Flores before interjecting, "My dear, whilst I understand the purpose of this meeting I think I need to make it clear that the future of this Canal will have a great affect on not just the great nations of North American but of the nations and peoples of the world. I do understand that the idea of albeit quite large nation some distance away having say over some strip of water may seem insignificant and, perhaps, even rude but I'm sure that, as a level-headed individual, you're able to understand that I'm the Foreign Secretary of a nation home to two billion people working within the framework of an export-focused economy. When I put it like that, I'm sure you're able to understand why we feel a need to not only be present here but to have, at least, some sort of a say or influence on any Canal governing body or Council."

She clears her throat before continuing, the tone of her voice becoming more relaxed and conversational, "Besides, we are all here to negotiate and we would not be here were we not willing to give ground to gain friends and influence. If you're willing to take a softer line, on allowing the Empire, and through us the Oriental Concordat, to have a voice and power on this new Council, and thus support such an option, I'm sure we could find a way to loosen the trade restrictions the ATCO currently faces in OC nations and the Pacific as a whole."

She turns to face President Bernier, "Your concern about the distant Empire having some influence over the Canal is understandable and is, naturally, noted. But, I ask you, please try to understand that the future of the Canal and its long-term stability are of a high importance to my Government, nation and people; that I believe I have already explained to our friend Representative Flores."

As she takes a sip of a cup of tea, brought to her by one of her staff, a few of the Karthspiri Delegation begin to text and converse quietly amongst one another in Karthspiri and their state languages.

[Nordamy]

Ruiz sat back in his seat

"Flores, your terms are very enticing. Indeed it will allow Mexico more say and protect staked interests of ATCO. I am
a bit concerned with security and emergency services. You did state you would have some troops posted there. Now that is fine but, what of the Mexican Coast Guard? Polic? Fire? EMS? Would it be local, Mexican or ATCO? As trivial as this may sound it can create problems. Say a storm hits, who would respond?"

He received a call on his cellphone and he execused himself

"Sija, er desto importante?"
Apparently it was important. Heavy rains were about to hit the zone and cause possible flooding in low lying areas. He told the agent to be patient and wait for orders

He returned to the room

"Ok some things.
One, there is about to be a flood in the canal zone due to heavy rains. Shall I tell my bosses to do something or nothing

Second, there should be no reason as to why Karthspire should have acces to some interests in the canal zone. After all, they did help us and it would be incredibly rude to leave them out for all they have done. I propose allowing them on the panel as a representative from the Oriental Concordat

Third, I can understand the scare of having foreign influence.
After all this is partially why the first team called it and left in the first place. How should we feel to foreign influence and possible use as a pawn for conquer? The truth is that we have to trust that no one here would do such a thing"

[Paglaum]

"How is the Panama Canal Zone going to be secured from such disasters, and managed, should really be an issue to be discussed by the Panama Canal Council. At a later date." Jessica suggested.

Unlike the Karthspiri delegation, it seemed she was able to speak uninterrupted. The Paglaumians had probably agreed to a set of options, beforehand. Karthspire wanting to take part in the management of the Canal had already been calculated for.

"On regards to allowing a representative of the Oriental Concordat to take part in this joint administration... This is acceptable to us, as long as all troops in Haiti and Yucatan are withdrawn. This goes for any foreign troops that are within Mexico, that are outside the occupation zone of the Panama Canal." The President spoke, rather boldly.

"We are particularly worried of such a military presence. While having the bulk of foreign forces under the 25th parallel seems like an ideal compromise to many, this state of affairs is not acceptable to Paglaum. As it poses a startling security risk, and it also violates the sovereignty of the Mexican Confederation. While it is sensible to bring the PCZ* under multinational occupation, if only to ensure peace, having any forces outside of this area seems redundant and dangerous. They should be transferred back to Confederate control as soon as possible." She said.

Paglaum was probably the only nation in this meeting that could bring up concerns, about Mexico's sovereignty, and get away with it without sounding hypocritical. Other than Mexico, of course. Thanks to the fact that the Unified Republics had been neutral during the conflict, and had instead attempted to promote dialogue. Taking in refugees, and sending Humanitarian aid whenever possible.

Historically, Mexico and Paglaum had held good relations. Which thankfully were still positive. The establishment of the National Socialist regime had gotten the two nations to fall apart diplomatically, but the rise of the Confederation had done much to repair them. Specially considering that the president herself was a Libertarian.

"Again, on regards to the amount of troops that should be allowed within the PCZ. Troop ratios, equipment, composition and placements. Those are all topics that should be discussed at a later date, once the Administration is established. Which should be our main focus, in order to secure peace in our neighbour, and ensure free shipping between the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans."

---

FOOTNOTES:

* PCZ, an initialism for "Panama Canal Zone", a shorthand term used by politicians, and political analysts.

[Allyrije]

Foreign Secretary Direnni looked over at her cousin, the Kalarínn, before saying, "Versalthí lín Dokumentárra." The Kalarínn promptly handed the Foreign Secretary a Briefcase which was slid over to President Bernier. Foreign Secretary Direnni motioned for her to open it, "My dear, whilst, as mentioned previously, your concerns about foreign troops being in your backyard are understandable, I believe you'll find within that briefcase documents attaining to the nature of the Karthspiri-Mexican Treaty signed after the civil war which grants the Empire the right to maintain bases and troops on Mexican soil in exchange for things such as weapons contracts, training Mexican troops and officers as well as liberalisation of certain regulations for both nations. It is not, as you claimed, a violation of Mexican sovereignty."

She smiles a little and gently clears her throat before continuing, "Please understand that the Empire has an interest in maintaining a strong and professional Mexican Army with Karthspiri troops alongside should they ever need to be called upon. Not only do we wish to see our friends in Mexico remain strong, with our help as specified in the Treaty, but we also wish to ensure that Karthspiri minorities within the Mexican Confederation are not subject to mistreatment as Karthspiri prisoners were during the Mexican Civil War which, if I remember correctly, along with attacks on our shipping was our original reason for intervening in the war."

She gazes around the table, gauging the reaction of the other delegates, before finishing, "The presence of Karthspiri troops in Mexico is vital for long-term reconstruction, stabilisation and security within Mexico. Withdrawing bases from the Yucatán and Haiti would not only, naturally, weaken the ability of the Empire to project power when necessary but would weaken the short and long-term structural, logistical and organisational integrity and ability of the Mexican Armed Forces; reducing all work done on stabilisation and reconstruction thus far and creating yet another Mexican problem on your doorstep."

[Ascoobis]

Spending the last few minutes considering the Karthspiri's rather brazen response and the resulting exchange with the Paglaumians. The lack of Nord outrage spoke volumes. Poor Nords, don't the realize that the Karthspiri just opened admitted that the Nords are mere pawns, vassals even in their bid for global dominance?, he reflected. Flores finally spoke in a careful manner. Setting off this woman's short fuse will get them nowhere.

"Your reasoning is rather flimsy, as it could be used to try to get your way in any situation. You could claim relevance anywhere simply because you are a large exporting power. However, I will agree to the Paglaumian compromise...With the condition that another Paglaumian representative is added to the Canal Council, in order to maintain an odd number. We cannot afford a deadlock in the council in case of an emergency. This will also serve to maintain a neutral balance in the decisions of the said council."

He added, hoping that the Nords would grasp the implied message. "Especially, since as you claim, you plan to have a strong influence on Nordamy either way."

He then turned to address the oblivious Nords while the other parties were coming up with a response.

"I concur with the Paglaumian view of this. However, I think we should specify that the PCZ is surrounded is Nord territory and should be reliant on them for emergency services. The PCZ is not it's own government, per say. But a multinational body meant to administer the operations of the Panama Canal."

[Nordamy]

Ruiz nodded in reply

"What you say has a lot to digest"

He turns to the Karthspiri diplomatic team

"Perhaps we should talk about troop levels in our land as you have made us appear as your playthings when you are guests. Please remember that. The same can be said for the ATCO presence, guests"

He smiled making people uncomfortable as he chose his next words. A Haitian diplomat, Christobal Legba, spoke up

"Perhaps the troops on the Mexican mainland can be more concentrated on Hispaniola. We have two regions always breathing down our necks so we need to make sure none of you..."

He glares at the Karthspiri and Ascoobian diplomats with cold and calculating eyes. Staring into their soul. As a former Voodoo priest, he could easily have them hexed. He fingered his necklace that had a sigil on it.

"Think you can get away with making us a client state. I think you can imagine how that would reflect on your nations on the world stage. Look at Washington and his doughboys coming in. Looks rather poor. Regarding the sovereignty, in the past the PCZ has been handled as a special case territory with their own degree of autonomy but directly controlled by parliament. Your model would work well for us."

He looked at his papers as Ruiz spoke up rather cooly

"You seem to play us for puppets when we can just as easily create a situation for guests who decide to go against everything. A situation where you would want out of Mexico"

He smiled

"But, right now we just want to make sure people walk away satisfied and disappointed. Where people get something and lose something."

He was feeling a bit antsy, he was tempted to light up here and now. Not caring what these people thought about it. He was better than that and he just stuck to being his cool, collected and ever so slightly creepy self. He checked his watch, was there a luncheon today? Would there be a chance to have a smoke with these people? To let go and feel alright?

He went quiet waiting for another person to speak.

[Ascoobis]

OOC: Wait, how much of that post were his musings and how much was spoken aloud?

[Nordamy]

OOC: Wait, how much of that post were his musings and how much was spoken aloud?

OOC
The non italicized were his thoughts

[Paglaum]

Jessica was surprised at how easily had the Karthspire delegation took the bait, when prodded. Did so in such a spectacularly, and bluntly imperialistic way. Her statement, in part, was meant to test just how committed the Mexicans were to being a Karthspire puppet, and how far were the Mexicans compromised.

Pleased with the result, the president then spoke up, breaking the tension in the air.

"Regardless, let us continue with these negotiations. I believe we are very close to reaching a sensible agreement." She said, with a pleasant tone.

"We can agree with the proposal presented by the Ascoobian delegacy. A deadlock would be particularly negative for all parties involved."

(OOC: Hey guys. You think it'd make sense for there to he some sort of recess, or lunch break in the meeting? Does that happen in these RL summits?)

[Allyrije]

The Foreign Secretary returns her gaze to the Mexican Delegation, "As I'm sure you know, renegotiating troop and base numbers is always open according to the treaty. If you wish for a discussion then we wish to start by saying that we're more than willing to either cut overall troop numbers within Mexico or to close the Yucatán Base provided we're able to move troops to our base in Hispaniola pending base expansion there."

The Kalarínn grabs her cousin's hand, that of the Foreign Secretary, quite angrily and begins to talk in quite a quick and abrasive tone, "Heldránn verkrallá lín?!"

The Foreign Secretary stiffens her facial expression, a look of disapproval displayed directly at her cousin. She pulls her hand away from hers, "My dear please do control your tone. Just because they don't understand what you're saying it doesn't mean they can't tell when you're getting overly touchy for little reason. I can assure you that there will be some sort of break soon, do feel free to yell at me all you want then. But for now, vertraijá."

Foreign Secretary Direnni softens her posture and facial expression and returns to a more conversational tone directed towards Flores, "Provided we get our representation on the Canal Governing Council, we're more than happy to allow an extra Paglaumian Delegate as I feel they're the one truly neutral party here."

She directs the following comments to all of the delegations, "I believe now would be best for some sort of break, no? My jetlag is beginning to truly catch up with me and I could kill for a cup of Chai."

[Ascoobis]

Flores was unnerved by the Haitian's stare. Why can't they ever send normal people he wondered, rubbing his watch.

In fact, now he thought about it, everyone else was starting to get a bit antsy. Perhaps he should sugge--Oh, the Karthspiri beat him to it. He was quick to support the measure.

"Yes, a small break would do us some good after our rush to arrive. Perhaps a light meal before getting back to it?"

[Nordamy]

The Mexicans all talked amongst themselves

"Yes we should have a break"

They got up to go unwind. Ruiz went outside and reached into his pocket. He was diagnosed with an illness and prescribed cannabis tablets to help ease his physical pain. He took one green tablet and sat on the steps as he let it take effect. He felt the usual slight euphoria followd by a mellowing out. The throbbing pain in his head then stopped as everything cleared out. He went back inside and joined his diplomats at a table.

"Ok so things are going alright so far. No freakouts. Legba,
you should tone down the Voodoo look..."

Legba just snickered and looked over at the Karthspiri diplomats. In his thick accent he replied in Creole

"The Karthspiri seem to be a tad aggravated. You should probably backtrack a bit on what you said eh?"

Ruiz nodded and got up to go sit with the Karthspiri. Checking his phone to make sure his eyes did not go red. Legba continued this time in heavily accented English.

"See, we be making friends. The Americans are tinking they have this in de bag. If this go well, all will be alright"

A skinny junior diplomat from Belize sighed

"For Christ sake tell me you did Voodoo before coming here? We know your a high priest but, must you flaunt it?"

Legba just laughed and sipped his Coffee. The Belizian just stared into his Coca tea.

The Ascoobians walked by and just smiled at the Mexicans while Ruiz was busy talking with the Karthspiri.

[Allyrije]

The Karthspiri Delegation were sat around a table, talking rapidly to one another and seemingly trying to ease the tension between the Foreign Secretary and the Kalarínn. Being brought to them by, presumably, interns kept on hand by the Foreign Ministry were cups of traditional style Karthspiri Tea. As Ruiz came to sit with the Karthspiri Delegation, the mood hardened a little but remained warm enough to entertain some conversation. The Foreign Secretary switched back to English and began to address Ruiz, "It is interesting that you choose to come and sit with us after your delegation seemed to accuse us of acting akin to a puppet master, hmm? In our constant willingness to negotiate our bilateral treaties and what, seemingly, feels like a friendship weighted very much in your favour such an accusation felt somewhat unjustified?"

She cleared her throat before continuing, a cold smile on her face, "You seem to forget, the Karthspiri treasury and taxpayer has contributed to your nation's reconstruction quite generously and we've always offered help in the realm of military and economic assistance. If we wished to exert political influence on your nation, we would have done so long ago. It would be nice if you could take your words back but, clearly, it is too late for that. I presume you're here on a mission of damage control, Ruiz?"

[Nordamy]

Ruiz rubbed his eyes

"Madam, perhaps you should have been more clear with your words. You made yourself look like the puppet master of Mexico, not I. If anyone needs to do damage control with all do respect you should at least clarify your words. You need to do the damage control for making yourself look like the nation builder. I did not have to do this remember who is giving you discounted goods and letting you use land for bases."

He rubbed his temples as the stress made his head throb. He would need to take a second dose before going back to the hell of a meeting. He sighed in Creole

"Damn densta skymerdad"
In English this translated to "Damn this sickness"

He looked up at the concerned foreign minister before continuing in English. She was about to ask about his condition. He wanted to say that he was not ok, the stress was killing him and he could easily have a stress induced seizure without his cannabis. He wasn't some junkie talking a big talk. He for that matter was close to not caring. He continued in English

"My plan on the bases still stands. I think we should move all troops from Veracruz to Haiti. Make it a joint operations base. You see, the Veracruz base is close to a residential area. We have been getting complaints. The Haitian base is on a small island just off the coast of Haiti. Your base is also close to a Mexican Naval base so we can do more exercises together. Troops can remain in country and it makes you look better to the rest of the world."

He looks over to the Ascoobians and Paglaumians

"Do you really want them breathing down your neck at every opportunity they can get? Just please"

He rubbed his temples and sipped his coffee.