A Convocation of Crowns - MT - IC - MTO Primarily

[Kyrenaia]

"I should certainly hope so! He is a rather bookish young boy, even though he is a man I should say now." Nana would smile, "You must give Karim Rashid my regards especially, I'm certain that he would be giddy over his work being translated to Sindarin! ...Albeit for a younger audience, but that is some significant headway amidst our more traditionalist snobs. They still express their subject manner well." she lingered on a pause awkwardly, as if to note that Fara was the subject of such platitudes. "But tell me, m'dear..." she leaned in with a more serious tone. "Why'd ya come to this here party?" it was an oddly straightforward question, but held with it a weight far less innocent than initially projected, though followed up by "I imagine a woman as lovely as yourself would be the topic of many a ballroom, so why grace the Hall of the White Tree with your presence?"

At her side, a white-haired young man's ears perked up as he heard the name Karim Rashid, the young man they belonged to blushing lightly as he heard, that his works not only were translated, he knew that already, but also appreciated in Danceria - for younger audiences then intended, but he did not mind that.
Pride swelled in his chest.
Fara, meanwhile, smiled slightly. She knew, that this line of questions was not as innocent as it appeared.
"Two reasons.", Fara replied, "For one thing, Danceria is an important diplomatic partner of Kyrenaia and the Sultanate wanted to make that known. As the Sultana rarely travels and both Prince Damir and Princess Aurelia were occupied elsewhere, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs looked for volunteers to travel with the Grand Vizier and Princess Dschamilla and here I am." She let a beat pass, she had diplomatic training and experience, after all. She blushed lightly, however, as she said the next piece: "The other reason is your Grandson, Ma'am. I like Aceus, ever since we met, and... well... I wanted to see him again."
She knew, how she had phrased it, but it was the truth: She liked him and she had wanted to see him again. She was unsure about how much she liked him, but she knew, that she did.
Rashid had a point with one thing: Love was very complicated.

Alekos blushed.
"O-of course. I would love to. It would be nice."
Scattered snickers were heard throughout the big room, but not so much to conclude that half the room had heard them.
"You are?" He enquired. "I am Alekos, Prince of Lotharia and adopted son of my uncle." He says, proudly with his eyes shining passionately and kindly.

Dschamilla smiled - he was very passionate about his duties, which was always good. He also seemed nervous for some reason no one could fathom.
For a moment, she contemplated being the Caracal to his Desert Mouse, but he seemed earnest and eager, so toying with him would be not only impolite, but also very rude. He was a promising young man, was the impression she currently got.
"It's a pleasure, Prince Alekos.", she replied to his introduction with a polite bow of her head, "I am Dschamilla bint-Fadi, Princess of the Ilkhanate of Fenchu and diplomatic representative of the Sultanate of Kyrenaia."

[Semparia]

Queen Janice Spencer steps out of her car, flanked by two bodyguards, carrying pistols in their holsters in black suits. At the age of 23, she had inherited the throne young, at the age of 19, due to her father dying of cancer. However, while her father had done much of the uniting of Semparia, she had done the reformation of Semparia into a single unified state that was fit to be a proper international power. She had long black hair, going over and behind her shoulders, and a strong build. A keen eye would notice the outline of a .338 revolver in her jacket. She looked around, observing the outside of the palace as she walked in

Aquilina warmly greeted the newly arrived Queen and introduced herself. "Aquilina of Saarkrisken, at your service" she began. "I like your hair, it is very beautiful. Unlike my hair, which I could never wear so long, I have so much trouble with it." As she talked, she gestured to her brown hair that was done up, no doubt professionally. The Saarkriskian had heard of the Semparian Queen, as she had read about her in a magazine article about successful women rulers. Aquilina was impressed with the story about how at such a young age, Queen Janice had accomplished so much. However she did not mention this, being both too proud and too shy to do so.

“Ah, good to meet you, I’m Janice of Semparia, also you have a lovely dress, personally I’ve never been able to really manage a dress,” she said as she gestured to her simple suit. As she talked she seemed to visibly relax, Aquilina had just picked her up from her floundering around, and she took mental note of that, wether Aquilina knew it or not.

[Danceria]

At her side, a white-haired young man's ears perked up as he heard the name Karim Rashid, the young man they belonged to blushing lightly as he heard, that his works not only were translated, he knew that already, but also appreciated in Danceria - for younger audiences then intended, but he did not mind that.
Pride swelled in his chest.
Fara, meanwhile, smiled slightly. She knew, that this line of questions was not as innocent as it appeared.
"Two reasons.", Fara replied, "For one thing, Danceria is an important diplomatic partner of Kyrenaia and the Sultanate wanted to make that known. As the Sultana rarely travels and both Prince Damir and Princess Aurelia were occupied elsewhere, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs looked for volunteers to travel with the Grand Vizier and Princess Dschamilla and here I am." She let a beat pass, she had diplomatic training and experience, after all. She blushed lightly, however, as she said the next piece: "The other reason is your Grandson, Ma'am. I like Aceus, ever since we met, and... well... I wanted to see him again."
She knew, how she had phrased it, but it was the truth: She liked him and she had wanted to see him again. She was unsure about how much she liked him, but she knew, that she did.
Rashid had a point with one thing: Love was very complicated.

The blush, more so than the answer, told all that she needed to know. With a coy smirk, the elderly Dancerian chuckled "Please, call me Nana. Everyone else does." the woman reassured her. "I can assure you, that Aceus...likes you as well. There'll be more to this visit than the droll duties of diplomacy. I'm certain you young folks will have an enjoyable time seeing the sights of Old Yggdrasilia." not wanting to waste time with a coy remark, she would briefly speak to Aceus in Sindarin. If any present besides her and Aceus spoke the language of Danceria, this is what transpired:

"<She's looking forward to dinner after the show, I'll make sure you two get plenty of time together.>" at this, the Dancerian King raised a glass in toasting the elderly woman. "<Though if you're a gentleman, I'd think she'd be more interested in being served breakfast>." Poor Aceus nearly spat out his wine in embarrassment, and the elderly woman chuckled "Still got it...I've still got it." she confided in Fara.

[Kyrenaia]

The blush, more so than the answer, told all that she needed to know. With a coy smirk, the elderly Dancerian chuckled "Please, call me Nana. Everyone else does." the woman reassured her. "I can assure you, that Aceus...likes you as well. There'll be more to this visit than the droll duties of diplomacy. I'm certain you young folks will have an enjoyable time seeing the sights of Old Yggdrasilia." not wanting to waste time with a coy remark, she would briefly speak to Aceus in Sindarin. If any present besides her and Aceus spoke the language of Danceria, this is what transpired:

"<She's looking forward to dinner after the show, I'll make sure you two get plenty of time together.>" at this, the Dancerian King raised a glass in toasting the elderly woman. "<Though if you're a gentleman, I'd think she'd be more interested in being served breakfast>." Poor Aceus nearly spat out his wine in embarrassment, and the elderly woman chuckled "Still got it...I've still got it." she confided in Fara.

Although she did not understand a word of Sindarin (besides 'Hello', 'Thank you' and 'Have a nice day'), something she would have to change pretty soon, she hid her giggle behind her hand at Aceus' reaction to whatever comment his Grandmother made.
Then, her previous words caught up with her brain: He liked her.
She liked him.
She exhaled, a feeling of flying butterflies spreading in her stomach. She grinned, a bit of giddyness in her eyes.
Most likely, Princess Fara bint-Dardan looked like a love-struck Middle Schooler right now, but she didn't care.
"Thank you, Nana.", Fara told the older woman, "I indeed would look forward to see Yggdrasilia with him. There was talk about seeing an opera tomorrow, too, Sparxio and Lirema."

[Lux Pulchrae]

Julius began chuckling, then the chuckle turned into loud, booming laughter. Luckily, the banquet drowned out the noise.
"Fascism, eh? How ironic. We have a Fascist party, due to our prestige and power, however it polls only at 6%, and is hated by most of everyone else. I would highly request you to avoid stirring them up against us, if that was ok with you. Can't have another coup and then a 'Glorious Holy Almighty Global Lotharian Empire' " He requests, half-jokingly. He looks back in front of him, and continues speaking. "As for Lotharia...We've always been at the center of European affairs. Our predecessors have fought many wars to maintain our position, and we were the leading center of the Renaissance, Constitutionalism, and Enlightenment Movements, don't let anyone else deceive you otherwise." He says, once again half-jokingly. His expression then turns serious and prideful, with his eyes burning passionately. "Through it all, we've always advocated acting both with Virtue and Practicality. Whilst others seek to pursue blind naive policies, psychopathic policies concerned only with national self-interest, xenophobic naive isolationism, reckless expansionism and interventionism, or god forbid, some ham-fisted compromise policy that contradicts itself and does no good, we've pursued our goals in equal measure. We've sacrificed practicality for virtue, and virtue for practicality, at different times in our history. It is in our people's nature to understand that a nation that serves only itself is self-defeating, yet a nation that sacrifices everything for others without looking after itself is doomed to destruction by one way or another. Reckless raison d'etat also causes damage to long-term stability, international cooperation, the economy, as well as a nation's standing as a Christian or even Secular Free State. Our Politicians have long understood this and forged a coherent foreign policy that seeks to achieve liberty, virtue, and practicality in equal measure, as much as possible, without being too naive or psychopathic. Our culture..." He trails off, pondering how to describe Lotharia's unique and prestigious culture. "...It's very much flavorful. We are known as the "Everything Pizza" in Europe, for lack of a better comparison. We have a culture that is very much like a mix of French, Germanic, Prussian, Anglo, Roman, American, Greek, Chinese, and Japanese culture, in a variety of aspects. Though we are mostly Germanic though favoring a Multicultural Policy, as well as those influences weren't brought by large influxes of foreigners, it's simply how things worked out. Not caused by external invasions and reshaping of our culture. We are a mix of these because we have the Romantic and Bold nature of the French, the Willpower and Work Ethic of the Germanics, the Military Reputation as well as the capital of the Prussians, the language of the Anglos, dramatic inspiration from Rome and Greek culture and philosophy, as well as structure, we are seen as the China" of Europe, as well as having the military tradition of the Japanese. Finally, we have the spirit of Liberty of the Americans, despite our Monarchist bent. These similarities have also influenced our foreign policy to some degree, resulting in us maintaining friendly relations with Monarchist and Democratic states of those cultures, as well as taking large heaps os inspiration from them. Even the most hardcore of our nationalists appreciate our similarities and prize those cultures. We are of course friendly to all cultures, though we also are very much interested in Korean, Jewish, Iranian, Indo-Dravidian, and Mesopotamian Culture. Our nation is a great center of study as well as application of principles from all those cultures into our own, as a key part of our culture as well as nation and it's survival has always been adaptability and innovation, be it technological, or cultural." He pauses, taking a breath. "My apologies, I get very passionate when discussing our very unique state. There is one more thing you should know about us, and that is that we are very dedicated to our model of Monarchy and it's constitution. The Emperor in general enjoys great popularity as a concept, though of course actual popularity of monarchs vary greatly. This passion has led us to found the MTO to show that Monarchies very much can succeed and rule with benevolence, and to strike a comeback. As such, we will push hard to reach our goals, and protect our allies, especially if it's strategically advantageous. However we will always take practical considerations into account, so we advise all our allies to not act recklessly." He finishes, eyes sparkling brightly but also embarrassed, as if he talked far too much-which he very well might have.

Cleone gave the emperor a smile, but one of discomfort ‘Signore mio, not one of these guys. Renaissance my ass!’ his conscience rang. He gave himself a moment to digest it all, scratching his head in thought “Well, the fascism part you can thank my grandfather, Cleone II, for that. He became friends with Mussolini after that whole march on Rome fiasco. He looked at the plight of the Germans and the fall of Spain and decided why not go with what works, then Germany followed suit and you can guess what happened. He was good friends with Franco too. He never much liked Hitler. ‘Germanics ruin everything we build’ he used to say, according to my dad.” a small laughter was heard. He nationalized all land under the crown, the nobility didn’t outright own it anymore. That was quite a strife.”

As they kept waking, Cleone thought more and more of Julius’ words, and how almost ridiculous it sounded. He then put on a serious face “On the topic of multiculturalism, if I may, there is nothing wrong with sharing cultures but one must recognize that not all can fit in the same pot. Your ‘everything pizza’ sounds crazy, especially to an Italian. When you add every ingredient onto the pizza, there will be some elements that contradict each other. Sure we have our differences, the French and Italians hate each other, the French and Germanics hate each other, and the Hispanics and French hate each other, but in their differences, three of the four share a common root, no? They are branches of a tree. When you have multiples of trees, Your Majesty, they will compete and die. Keep Europe, European, as it should be. Leave the Asians in Asia, the semites in the desert, and the savages in Africa.” a hard pull was felt on Cleon’s arm, coming from Lourdes.

She leaned into him “Be careful what you say! These people are not you. And you can be rather crude”

“E onesto!” he replied heavily. “God gave us minds to be wise, Lourdes, not foolish. And he gave you a mouth to keep quiet!”. Tension grew and she looked down, obeying what he had said, but also a bit saddened that he’d raise his voice at her. “So, Imperator, any possible openings for this alliance?”

[Danceria]

Although she did not understand a word of Sindarin (besides 'Hello', 'Thank you' and 'Have a nice day'), something she would have to change pretty soon, she hid her giggle behind her hand at Aceus' reaction to whatever comment his Grandmother made.
Then, her previous words caught up with her brain: He liked her.
She liked him.
She exhaled, a feeling of flying butterflies spreading in her stomach. She grinned, a bit of giddyness in her eyes.
Most likely, Princess Fara bint-Dardan looked like a love-struck Middle Schooler right now, but she didn't care.
"Thank you, Nana.", Fara told the older woman, "I indeed would look forward to see Yggdrasilia with him. There was talk about seeing an opera tomorrow, too, Sparxio and Lirema."

Oddly enough, the mention of the National Epic once more caused a placidly concerned look upon the old woman's face. She then decided to calm the girl now and get her acquainted with the plans of her grandson. She wouldn't be revealing too much, but enough to make it go without a hitch. "Now as much as I hate to bring a girl down from heaven, there are a few things that need to be cleared up. You listenin'?" she began, her tone stern but a coy look still lingering in her eyes. "As some own whose set people up and been set up for almost fifty years, I'd like to think myself an expert on these matters. Here's a crash course on Dancerian courtship. My boy will be "subtly obvious", what that means is that he'll treat you as a friend or an acquaintance until he can be with you one on one. I want no frisky dancing in these halls. For Valar's sake this isn't a nightclub! Keep your cool until the date begins." she reassured her, knowing how hard it is to be patient in love. "During the opera, and in public, he'll be as chaste as a church-mouse. Too many eyes and he doesn't want to rope in your family just yet, you understand. Once the two of you are alone, he'll gradually become more assertive. Let him, he won't force nothin' onto you, I raised him too good for that. When the time is right, and you'll know it's right, make it damn obvious. Guys tend to be oblivious to the femme mystique, and you'll be well enough alone to swap spit." her frank words may not have alleviated the Kyrenaian's mood, but they were for her own good. Last thing Nana wanted to find out was how many ultra-nationalists were lurking in these halls. "Lastly, and this is the important bit, no matter how much you coax him, no matter how hot and bothered ye may be, he won't bed ya on the first night. He may get a lil' handsy, but there won't be too many scandals involvin' me boy. Got all that?"

[Saarkrisken]

“Ah, good to meet you, I’m Janice of Semparia, also you have a lovely dress, personally I’ve never been able to really manage a dress,” she said as she gestured to her simple suit. As she talked she seemed to visibly relax, Aquilina had just picked her up from her floundering around, and she took mental note of that, whether Aquilina knew it or not.

Aquilina was surprised by the idea that a woman couldn't pull off a dress, but she took the compliment graciously. "Thank you" she said "Your suit is very chic, but I think you could wear a dress if you wanted." The Saarkriskian smiled. "You should try the food, it is delicious" she said before asking "So what is Semparia like?"

[Kyrenaia]

Alekos was impressed. A Muslim State had produced a representative that didn't stick out too much in the crowd in a negative light, especially due to the mixed feelings on Religion many attendees no doubt had. It was welcome of course, however he had expected a Muslim Representative to be being dodged or dodging radical Christian States. It was very pleasing to see that this was not the case, and gave him just a tad bit of hope that peaceful Diplomacy between Muslim and Christian States could be attempted, even among the most radical.

"It is very pleasing to see a Muslim State to be able to mingle relatively peacefully with Christian Nations. In this period of division and uneasy silence, that is one victory for global cooperation that is also a step away from a global government." He articulates, trying to soak into every detail of how she looked without being too noticeable. For Diplomatic and Culture purposes, of course.
"There is still some time before the official forum and diplomatic discussion begins. Would you care for a walk? My unc-father, I mean, has already gone on one with a diplomatic representative, it seems." He says, pointing towards a nearby hall where they could peacefully walk and get to know each other.

Dschamilla looked over to the Grand Vizier, who nodded. Formally, she was his attendant for tonight, so she needed his approval to 'leave her post', so to speak. With his approval, she made to rise, Karim quickly pulling the chair out (he was well-raised, after all), and smiled at Alekos.
She had noted, that he looked at her with keen eyes, but she had nothing against that.
Karim meanwhile, held his face neutral. His Big Sis was a Big Girl, she could handle herself.
"It would be my pleasure, Prince Alekos.", she said, still smiling and offering her arm to link with his. Before the serious business of diplomacy began, she would love to catch a bit of a breath of fresh air. "One small thing, though. I'm not a Muslim and neither are most of the Kyrenaians. We're Polytheists, actually."
Her smile told, that she did not hold it against him, being well aware, that Kyrenaian Polytheism wasn't exactly the most widely-spread religion.

Oddly enough, the mention of the National Epic once more caused a placidly concerned look upon the old woman's face. She then decided to calm the girl now and get her acquainted with the plans of her grandson. She wouldn't be revealing too much, but enough to make it go without a hitch. "Now as much as I hate to bring a girl down from heaven, there are a few things that need to be cleared up. You listenin'?" she began, her tone stern but a coy look still lingering in her eyes. "As some own whose set people up and been set up for almost fifty years, I'd like to think myself an expert on these matters. Here's a crash course on Dancerian courtship. My boy will be "subtly obvious", what that means is that he'll treat you as a friend or an acquaintance until he can be with you one on one. I want no frisky dancing in these halls. For Valar's sake this isn't a nightclub! Keep your cool until the date begins." she reassured her, knowing how hard it is to be patient in love. "During the opera, and in public, he'll be as chaste as a church-mouse. Too many eyes and he doesn't want to rope in your family just yet, you understand. Once the two of you are alone, he'll gradually become more assertive. Let him, he won't force nothin' onto you, I raised him too good for that. When the time is right, and you'll know it's right, make it damn obvious. Guys tend to be oblivious to the femme mystique, and you'll be well enough alone to swap spit." her frank words may not have alleviated the Kyrenaian's mood, but they were for her own good. Last thing Nana wanted to find out was how many ultra-nationalists were lurking in these halls. "Lastly, and this is the important bit, no matter how much you coax him, no matter how hot and bothered ye may be, he won't bed ya on the first night. He may get a lil' handsy, but there won't be too many scandals involvin' me boy. Got all that?"

Fara nodded.
"Of course.", she answered, understanding very well. "And to be honest, I wouldn't want to have it any other way. We both have public images to uphold and too many eyes watching for exactly such slips." She leaned over, whispering. "Besides, if you do it on the first night, it tells much about the way you want the relationship to develop. And I don't want my relationship with Aceus to develop into one purely based on physical attraction."
She sighed, letting a beat pass.
Then she smiled.
"Thank you for these very honest and frank words and the advice.", she said and added in Sindarin, her pronounciation most likely being horrible: "Thank you very much."

[Semparia]

“Ah, good to meet you, I’m Janice of Semparia, also you have a lovely dress, personally I’ve never been able to really manage a dress,” she said as she gestured to her simple suit. As she talked she seemed to visibly relax, Aquilina had just picked her up from her floundering around, and she took mental note of that, whether Aquilina knew it or not.

Aquilina was surprised by the idea that a woman couldn't pull off a dress, but she took the compliment graciously. "Thank you" she said "Your suit is very chic, but I think you could wear a dress if you wanted." The Saarkriskian smiled. "You should try the food, it is delicious" she said before asking "So what is Semparia like?"

She pauses for a moment, thinking, before saying, “Well I don’t really know, I think it’s a good place, I’ve worked hard on environmental and civil rights laws, and on the economy.” She chuckles “We get far to many tourists, and I’ve noticed for some reason we export a lot of cheese. We also have a lot of big cities. What is Saarkrisken like?”

[Lux Pulchrae]

The Emperor nodded while walking, recognizing he may have irritated him with a couple comments, but himself internally minorly irritated at his statement about Africans. Still, he was here on diplomatic business, and despite their differences, he seemed to be a likable enough person, if a little rude and outright racist. In this world, he'd have to make due with cooperating with such people.
"I recognize and respect different approaches to internal policy in relating to culture as well as ethnicity, as long as it does not interfere with our own, or teeter on outright repression and genocide. Even so, practicality will do more good than an outright morality crusade against possible allies, so it would rob us of diplomatic options to combat bigger, more dangerous, possibly more evil threats." The Emperor replied, carefully choosing his words. He had to to send a clear message whilst offering an invitation for cooperation. "As for an opening in the alliance, there most certainly is, however I would like to personally negotiate a membership with you, if that is what you seek. Your agreement may be different than others, or at least the talks will be."

"You must excuse our manners. She speaks when she should listen." he excused himself then continuing to speak "You and I are monarchs, right? As leaders of our nation, God has granted me the authority to rule over His people, and has given you the same opportunity. Each nation is beholden to their ruler, I will not tell you what to do with your people, just like you don't tell me how to rule mine. And I must agree, tyranny is outright sinful, but there is nothing wrong with a strong authority or firm hand, in deciding who your people are. Each man is made of their own kind. You won't find sheep loitering with tigers, cats mating with dogs or eagles swimming with the fishes. Man was spread out to develop his own self, you put him together with different kinds of people, it would be a pool of averageness."

"But enough about such matters." he decided to end the rather touchy subject, "How about a free trial? To put it in best terms, in but not entirely, capsci?" he asked. Such an organization could help, but he didn't want to jump in the water just yet. "As long as there are no communists, eh?" he added with a small chuckle.

[Narduo]

[Roleplay]
Arda, The United Kingdoms of Danceria, Grand Duchy of Isengar, 7 kilometers from capital city of Yggdrasilia.
08:51 n.r. (napre rean), Lanai 14 1362 A.Q.A.

The sun shined brilliantly across the port side of the Narduan dreadnaught, the N.H.H. Sauner. Its chrome-plated steel hull gleamed in the radiant light as it filtered through the now golden clouds. The first rays of the morning.

Beautiful. Just beautiful. thought Lar-Rexen Arrter A'Perak - or Ater, as his friends called him - as he admired his surroundings. He had been awake since seven fifty, spending the time after then having breakfast and watching the roiling sea foam as it retreated from the bow of the great sea vessel.

Coffee cup in hand, he had only just noticed the amazing sunrise taking place around him. And there's the Dancerian capital. Dazzling in the glorious sunshine with a light blue sky - almost cyan - that held all of its clouds.

They were close to port. The Sauner, closely followed by several small patrol corvettes, was aiming itself for the city's harbor. Over there the party guests would then disembark and be brought to the Palace building via a chauffeur.

Just then, Ater heard a yawn from behind him. He turned, greeted by a sleepy eyed Ighim Xeoy Frini A'Varea. "Sell'a Nah-dul." the Ighim paused, realizing his mistake.

He sighed before standing up straight, seemingly shaking the fatigue from his eyes. "Apologies, Lar-Rexen. Sell'a Narduo." he immediately gave a classic Narduan salute, placing a straightened palm on his head before bringing it away from him and curling it into a fist.

Ater smiled at that before greeting him similarly. "Sell'a Narduo, asqeri. Sleep well?"

"Like a rock." Xeoy replied, sarcasm dripping into his response in gallons full of frustration. "Tried to read a few pages of "El Cajo'lor", ended up having a migraine..."

He sighed, rubbing his temples. "It's gone now, but I only managed to doze off after drinking some iced water."

Ater's smile disappeared at mention of his friend's pain. "Kibek, a migraine at sea sounds almost like a curse..."

Xeoy gave a dry laugh at that. "Is that Yggdrasilia?"

"Why yes. Flashy, isn't it?"

Xeoy shrugged at that. "Nothing can phase you after you've been to "El Paxar'un Lart"... I will never forget the water falls..."

Ater merely nodded at that. "Remind me to visit that sometime too. I hear that Tegram the Conqueror first saw Elohim there."

"Indeed."

Just then, one of Artter and Xeoy's personal guard force came to greet them. "Sell'a Narduo, aqers!"

The man, Janki Niko Vit A'Aspir, explained to them that they would be disembarking within the hour. He also warned that the ship was likely to make some rather uncomfortable lurches back and forth as it would attempt to fit in the rather crowded harbor.

"Elohim'selt, aqers!" He saluted a second time before running off to complete preparations for the two men.
----------
Deep within the Dancerian capital city, outside the gates of the Royal Palace.
Forty-five minutes later.

"Topal arna," Lar-Rexen Artter said out loud. He, Xeoy and Curnet Olat A'Weri were all seated inside of an armored personnel vehicle that had been commissioned for chauffeuring the two real guests.

"Indeed, masir," the Curnet said. He then closed his eyes and pulled his beret lower. "And we are late." Unfortunately, traffic in the city and around the harbor had delayed them in their quest to the Dancerian Royal Palace.

They were all dressed in formal attire, yet there was an obvious lack of 'regality' that came with their outfits. El Paxanum ca Narduo was in no way a monarchy and much of its aristocracy lacked any of the power it may have had in the past.

As a result, the men lacked any defining royal decorations or features. No golden scepters, ornamental crowns or even a fur cape. Instead, trench coats.

Matt black standard Jalakorum winter wear trench coats - Narduo had a rather warm climate, thus the two guests and their personal guard had prepared for the rather cold spring break in Danceria. Along with that the personal guards wore red berets (except for curnet Olat - he had a visor cap) and the two jankis had full facial gas masks - more for show than for practical usage, but you never knew if someone might actually try to gas the place...

Artter wore no head gear, but had a few flashy medals on his inside blazer that showed his rank of importance in both civil and military matters. And the ighim... He was dressed like a war chaplain.

He too wore the dark attire but had an open collar to denote his affiliation to the Reva'Elohim. All of them wore combat boots and bullet proof vests under their inner attire, simply because the last thing Narduo wanted was for some of its most important individuals to be unprepared in the event of a shootout.

Especially since the nation had been in relative isolation ever since the end of the last war... Their vehicle parked within the palace grounds before they were led to the main banquet hall.

Once there, the three soldiers among them formed a triangular perimeter around the ighim and lar-rexen. Just then, one of the Dancerian Royal band members played a horn, signalling the arrival of new guests.

A few turned their heads entirely, a couple merely looked from the corner of their eyes... but almost all curiously regarded the newcomers and their seemingly... dieselpunk - yes, that would be a good word to describe them - asthetic.

Olat quickly brought down the radio set around his head. [Monitor the area. Keep a look out for anything remotely hostile. Report back if deemed necessary.]

The headset radioed his orders to the two janiks. They obeyed accordingly, ominously moving their heads around as they scanned the place.

The Narduans all seemed out of place amidst the opulent setting and brightly colored nobility. Them just walking in, their military members seemingly prepared to gas the place - all while they held their semi-automatic assault rifles closely to them - and their leader, Artter, just casually accepting this as a normal procedure.

[Semparia]

[Roleplay]
Arda, The United Kingdoms of Danceria, Grand Duchy of Isengar, 7 kilometers capital city of Yggdrasilia.
08:51 n.r. (napre rean), Lanai 14 1362 A.Q.A.

The sun shined brilliantly across the port side of the Narduan dreadnaught, the N.H.H. Sauner. Its chrome-plated steel hull gleamed in the radiant light as it filtered through the now golden clouds. The first rays of the morning.

Beautiful. Just beautiful. thought Lar-Rexen Arrter A'Perak - or Ater, as his friends called him - as he admired his surroundings. He had been awake since seven fifty, spending the time after then having breakfast and watching the roiling sea foam as it retreated from the bow of the great sea vessel.

Coffee cup in hand, he had only just noticed the amazing sunrise taking place around him. And there's the Dancerian capital. Dazzling in the glorious sunshine with a light blue sky - almost cyan - that held all of its clouds.

They were close to port. The Sauner, closely followed by several small patrol corvettes, was aiming itself for the city's harbor. Over there the party guests would then disembark and be brought to the Palace building via a chauffeur.

Just then, Ater heard a yawn from behind him. He turned, greeted by a sleepy eyed Ighim Xeoy Frini A'Varea. "Sell'a Nah-dul." the Ighim paused, realizing his mistake.

He sighed before standing up straight, seemingly shaking the fatigue from his eyes. "Apologies, Lar-Rexen. Sell'a Narduo." he immediately gave a classic Narduan salute, placing a straightened palm on his head before bringing it away from him and curling it into a fist.

Ater smiled at that before greeting him similarly. "Sell'a Narduo, asqeri. Sleep well?"

"Like a rock." Xeoy replied, sarcasm dripping into his response in gallons full of frustration. "Tried to read a few pages of "El Cajo'lor", ended up having a migraine..."

He sighed, rubbing his temples. "It's gone now, but I only managed to doze off after drinking some iced water."

Ater's smile disappeared at mention of his friend's pain. "Kibek, a migraine at sea sounds almost like a curse..."

Xeoy gave a dry laugh at that. "Is that Yggdrasilia?"

"Why yes. Flashy, isn't it?"

Xeoy shrugged at that. "Nothing can phase you after you've been to "El Paxar'un Lart"... I will never forget the water falls..."

Ater merely nodded at that. "Remind me to visit that sometime too. I hear that Tegram the Conqueror first saw Elohim there."

"Indeed."

Just then, one of Artter and Xeoy's personal guard force came to greet them. "Sell'a Narduo, aqers!"

The man, Janki Niko Vit A'Aspir, explained to them that they would be disembarking within the hour. He also warned that the ship was likely to make some rather uncomfortable lurches back and forth as it would attempt to fit in the rather crowded harbor.

"Elohim'selt, aqers!" He saluted a second time before running off to complete preparations for the two men.
----------
Deep within the Dancerian capital city, outside the gates of the Royal Palace.
Forty-five minutes later.

"Topal arna," Lar-Rexen Artter said out loud. He, Xeoy and Curnet Olat A'Weri were all seated inside of an armored personnel vehicle that had been commissioned for chauffeuring the two real guests.

"Indeed, masir," the Curnet said. He then closed his eyes and pulled his beret lower. "And we are late." Unfortunately, traffic in the city and around the harbor had delayed them in their quest to the Dancerian Royal Palace.

They were all dressed in formal attire, yet there was an obvious lack of 'regality' that came with their outfits. El Paxanum ca Narduo was in no way a monarchy and much of its aristocracy lacked any of the power it may have had in the past.

As a result, the men lacked any defining royal decorations or features. No golden scepters, ornamental crowns or even a fur cape. Instead, trench coats.

Matt black standard Jalakorum winter wear trench coats - Narduo had a rather warm climate, thus the two guests and their personal guard had prepared for the rather cold spring break in Danceria. Along with that the personal guards wore red berets (except for curnet Olat - he had a visor cap) and the two jankis had full facial gas masks - more for show than for practical usage, but you never knew if someone might actually try to gas the place...

Artter wore no head gear, but had a few flashy medals on his inside blazer that showed his rank of importance in both civil and military matters. And the ighim... He was dressed like a war chaplain.

He too wore the dark attire but had an open collar to denote his affiliation to the Reva'Elohim. All of them wore combat boots and bullet proof vests under their inner attire, simply because the last thing Narduo wanted was for some of its most important individuals to be unprepared in the event of a shootout.

Especially since the nation had been in relative isolation ever since the end of the last war... Their vehicle parked within the palace grounds before they were led to the main banquet hall.

Once there, the three soldiers among them formed a triangular perimeter around the ighim and lar-rexen. Just then, one of the Dancerian Royal band members played a horn, signalling the arrival of new guests.

A few turned their heads entirely, a couple merely looked from the corner of their eyes... but almost all curiously regarded the newcomers and their seemingly... dieselpunk - yes, that would be a good word to describe them - asthetic.

Olat quickly brought down the radio set around his head. [Monitor the area. Keep a look out for anything remotely hostile. Report back if deemed necessary.]

The headset radioed his orders to the two janiks. They obeyed accordingly, ominously moving their heads around as they scanned the place.

The Narduans all seemed out of place amidst the opulent setting and brightly colored nobility. Them just walking in, their military members seemingly prepared to gas the place - all while they held their semi-automatic assault rifles closely to them - and their leader, Artter, just casually accepting this as a normal procedure.

Janice, noting the Narduans looked out of place, calmly waved them over into her current conversation “How are you? I am Queen Janice Spencer of Semparia, I can only assume you are the guests arriving from Narduo? I can see you arrived late as well, although you seem to have come determinedly more prepared for a war than I have.”

[Saarkrisken]

[

She pauses for a moment, thinking, before saying, “Well I don’t really know, I think it’s a good place, I’ve worked hard on environmental and civil rights laws, and on the economy.” She chuckles “We get far to many tourists, and I’ve noticed for some reason we export a lot of cheese. We also have a lot of big cities. What is Saarkrisken like?”

"I guess it is difficult to describe one's own country, everything that is unique, seems normal. In Saarkrisken we aren't guided by political ideologies as much as by pragmatism. However, the government tries to encourage the development of a unique culture. That way, we have resisted global trends. Most Saarkriskians live in cities, but we have a lot of open space which I enjoy. What do you prefer, the city or the country?"

[Narduo]

Janice, noting the Narduans looked out of place, calmly waved them over into her current conversation “How are you? I am Queen Janice Spencer of Semparia, I can only assume you are the guests arriving from Narduo? I can see you arrived late as well, although you seem to have come determinedly more prepared for a war than I have.”

At first the wave from Queen Janice had stunned Lar-Rexen Artter A'Perak, but he was quick to pick up on it and come toward her and another woman of - he was assuming - equal importance. As he and Xeoy walked to the two ladies, their guard circled around them, similar to how electrons would circle an atom.

Changing positions, always on the move, but never in the same place as one another. They cycled through, letting Curnet - the commanding officer of the two janiks - stand purposefully next to Artter. The two janiks stopped moving too and returned to their sentry watch, freaking out a couple of servers as they stood ominously still at attention.

Once they had arrived, Janice started speaking, almost too fast for Artter to reply. She spoke with a speed that denoted a sense of proficiency that came with her ability to converse in English... Artter, on the other hand, was not as proficient.

In fact, he had only learned English out of necessity than out of love for languages - it was fast becoming a worldwide tongue for all to speak. Narduo still ensured to educate its youth in its traditional local language, but it also had no choice but to incorporate English into the syllabus.

Thus, when he spoke, he had a thick Narduan accent that caused him to pronounce his "r"s stronger than necessary and occasionally forget to pronounce his vowels as their individual letters whenever they were close by or together. "Ah, thank you Your Majesty, for the kind welcome," he said after a few moments of quiet contemplation.

He smiled, then, his dimples showing across his brown skin. Narduans were all rather dark skinned, the result of their ancestors' time in the dry and sunny south of Narduo. Artter's skin tone was no exception.

"My fellow Narduan men were delayed by... how you say... traffic. Very busy." Xeoy stiffled a laugh, for he himself had been better educated at English than his friend and superior.

"Taq-" Ater quickly coughed at that, realizing that he had let Narduan slip into his speech. "Sorry, I am not very used to your English. I am Lar-Rexen Artter A'Perak of Narduo, pleased to meet you," he extended a gloved hand for her to shake.

If one were to look closely, they might see around his neck area a sudden red hue. Yes, he was blushing. He had realized that he had embarrassed Narduo by showing his lack of proficiency in English, in comparison to the other party guests around him.

"Ighim Xeoy," Xeoy fluently said to the lady next to the Queen, extending a hand as well, a polite smile plastered on his face as his black eyes dilated in the light. "And whom may you be, ma'am?"

D@mn it, Xeo. You and your linguistics experience... Artter thought to himself as the he awaited the Queen's response... The three Narduan soldiers still maintaining watch, silently monitoring the situation around them.

[Semparia]

She’d shake his hand, speaking slower this time, “A pleasure to meet you, it seems obvious you’ve come prepared.” She waved at the guards, “I seem to have come underprepared, I only have a pistol and four guards outside.”

[Kyrenaia]

Alekos cleared his throat.
"Ah yes, of course. My apologies for such a stereotypical thing to say. Now, if you wish..." He says, standing up. "-We may go now and discuss further diplomatic ties, cultural similarities, et cetera, as I alongside my Un-Father am a formal diplomat representing Lotharia, and thus am qualified for such. Or..." He says, smiling cheerfully. "-We could simply discuss pleasantries."

Dschamilla smiled, not holding anything against Alekos as she linked arms with him and let him lead her, adjusting the course slightly every once in a while.
"We could discuss pleasantries and platitudes, like the weather, but that would not be a filling conversation, now would it?", she asked, rhetorically. "I would much rather like to use this opportunity and pleasant occassion for the two of us to get to know each other closer. Tell me a bit about yourself, Prince Alekos, and I will tell you a bit about myself."

[Lux Pulchrae]

Julius pondered this for a moment.
"Possibly, but let's discuss the specifics of how your membership and process later with the others to work out a solid foundation, shall we? For now, let's consider establishing economic ties between us, that would be a solid start. Would a deal worth 3 billion dollars of Trade, be ok with you, as well as the establishment of an Embassy? We may discuss the specifics here or later if you wish."
He says, hoping this could be a good first step.

"Let me get intoxicated first, this trip is more pleasure than business. Maybe we should find a bar after this whole dinner thing, huh? I'm no drinker but I am at these sort of functions."

[Lux Pulchrae]

The Emperor laughed. "Indeed, I would love some Beer and Wine. Do you wish to return to the main hall then? Or do you have somewhere else in mind?" He asks, cheerfully.

Cleone shrugged "Well I guess we could return to the hall, I don't really know the town, you know? Hopefully Aceus has a wine cellar here, or whiskey, or grappa we could raid. He seems to think very highly of you, he'd probably let you go in with a trash bag if you ask." he playfully tapped on the emperor's shoulders with a laugh.

"Should I go back to the others, if you are going to drink?" Lourdes chimed in

"Maybe, let's get back to the hall first, then decide what you want, bene?" he suggested, to which she agreeably nodded. He turned to Julius "So back to the others I guess."

[Narduo]

She’d shake his hand, speaking slower this time, “A pleasure to meet you, it seems obvious you’ve come prepared.” She waved at the guards, “I seem to have come underprepared, I only have a pistol and four guards outside.”

Artter gave a light laugh at that. "Yes, us Narduans are rather... para-... Um, how do you say that one? The word for "very scared"?" After Queen Janice answered him, explaining that word he was looking for was probably paranoid, he sheepishly smiled at her before finishing his statement.

"Yes, thank you. Paranoid about losing anyone from the homeland... We have had a hard time getting better from the last war. Very big line of cas... dead men. Now, we fear what happens outside our borders," he quickly brought a hand up his neck, feeling nervous about how he had to converse in a language he rarely spoke in anymore. "How about your homeland? Is Semparia doing well for itself?"

----------
I can't believe that my great, great grandmother had actually been to places like this... thought Janik Niko to himself as he continued to keep watch with his gas mask.

While the Lar-Rexen and Ighim conversed with the guests, he had found himself comparing the party to his father's stories on the last true royal in their family... Way to go, great, great grandmother Kena...

He monitored the foods for a while, staring at them a little longer than he had stared at a waiter earlier - as expected, he responded by rushing away faster. Though, the foods... they almost called to him, demanding his immediate attention.

[Ah, what I'd do for a piece of that lasagna...] Niko radioed to his friend.

[Don't keep your hopes up, Ascjin is still conversing with the royals. We'd be lucky if-]

Just then, a waiter who had gathered enough courage to speak to the Narduan delegation walked up to Niko, seemingly unphased by his ominous staring. "May I interest you in a beverage or drink, sir?"

Niko looked to Nui. Nui responded by slowly bringing his head down, a nod, before going back to monitoring his surroundings.

Niko looked back at the waiter, he barely understood much of the statement other than "beverage, drink and sir". Meaning, it was more than enough for him to figure out to reply with a curt "Yes." He then pointed at the lasagna that he had been earlier talking about.

The server raised an eyebrow at that before bowing and getting him a glass of water and a small piece of the lasagna - since he had no table, it seemed dumb to give him a huge piece.

[Heh. Ava'ti fivi, asqeri.] Nui sent back, Niko smiling to himself inwardly.

[Semparia]

“I think Semparia is doing quite well, political, civil and economic freedoms have risen greatly, along with our economy and military. Speaking of military, is your nation’s involved in any? The Semparian Royal Force are active in two peacekeeping operations.”

[Dahon]

"Granddammit", the Suzumikami muttered under her breath as she returned to the hall.

The reason for her frustration was easy enough to deduce, though in all likelihood it was unknown to the assembled dignitaries: her bones were acting up again. Her doctors' advice as she finished up her rehab a year ago was to smoke a joint as soon as possible whenever the pain started to return. It something that was both difficult and inconvenient given her position (and where she was at present), not to mention ironic, as her marijuana habit was part of the reason why she sustained the injuries (and the ghastly scars) she did in the first place; only her knowledge of the pain that lingered deep within her prevented her from ignoring the recommendation.

As it was, however, she had lost a prime opportunity to introduce herself to the "re degli illustri guerrieri con i capelli lustri", as she had playfully called the Lotharian sovereign earlier. Quickly she cast her eyes about in search of the compagno, only to discover that he was himself preoccupied.

Knowing when to fold it for the time being, Kiako settled for the wall, hopeful eyes still darting for someone to talk to (or dance with, though she was, ahem, hardly a dancer). Then she remembered: "Ah, that Dancerian guy with the flaxen hair, what's his name again?"

[Danceria]

Alekos was impressed. A Muslim State had produced a representative that didn't stick out too much in the crowd in a negative light, especially due to the mixed feelings on Religion many attendees no doubt had. It was welcome of course, however he had expected a Muslim Representative to be being dodged or dodging radical Christian States. It was very pleasing to see that this was not the case, and gave him just a tad bit of hope that peaceful Diplomacy between Muslim and Christian States could be attempted, even among the most radical.

"It is very pleasing to see a Muslim State to be able to mingle relatively peacefully with Christian Nations. In this period of division and uneasy silence, that is one victory for global cooperation that is also a step away from a global government." He articulates, trying to soak into every detail of how she looked without being too noticeable. For Diplomatic and Culture purposes, of course.
"There is still some time before the official forum and diplomatic discussion begins. Would you care for a walk? My unc-father, I mean, has already gone on one with a diplomatic representative, it seems." He says, pointing towards a nearby hall where they could peacefully walk and get to know each other.

Dschamilla looked over to the Grand Vizier, who nodded. Formally, she was his attendant for tonight, so she needed his approval to 'leave her post', so to speak. With his approval, she made to rise, Karim quickly pulling the chair out (he was well-raised, after all), and smiled at Alekos.
She had noted, that he looked at her with keen eyes, but she had nothing against that.
Karim meanwhile, held his face neutral. His Big Sis was a Big Girl, she could handle herself.
"It would be my pleasure, Prince Alekos.", she said, still smiling and offering her arm to link with his. Before the serious business of diplomacy began, she would love to catch a bit of a breath of fresh air. "One small thing, though. I'm not a Muslim and neither are most of the Kyrenaians. We're Polytheists, actually."
Her smile told, that she did not hold it against him, being well aware, that Kyrenaian Polytheism wasn't exactly the most widely-spread religion.

Oddly enough, the mention of the National Epic once more caused a placidly concerned look upon the old woman's face. She then decided to calm the girl now and get her acquainted with the plans of her grandson. She wouldn't be revealing too much, but enough to make it go without a hitch. "Now as much as I hate to bring a girl down from heaven, there are a few things that need to be cleared up. You listenin'?" she began, her tone stern but a coy look still lingering in her eyes. "As some own whose set people up and been set up for almost fifty years, I'd like to think myself an expert on these matters. Here's a crash course on Dancerian courtship. My boy will be "subtly obvious", what that means is that he'll treat you as a friend or an acquaintance until he can be with you one on one. I want no frisky dancing in these halls. For Valar's sake this isn't a nightclub! Keep your cool until the date begins." she reassured her, knowing how hard it is to be patient in love. "During the opera, and in public, he'll be as chaste as a church-mouse. Too many eyes and he doesn't want to rope in your family just yet, you understand. Once the two of you are alone, he'll gradually become more assertive. Let him, he won't force nothin' onto you, I raised him too good for that. When the time is right, and you'll know it's right, make it damn obvious. Guys tend to be oblivious to the femme mystique, and you'll be well enough alone to swap spit." her frank words may not have alleviated the Kyrenaian's mood, but they were for her own good. Last thing Nana wanted to find out was how many ultra-nationalists were lurking in these halls. "Lastly, and this is the important bit, no matter how much you coax him, no matter how hot and bothered ye may be, he won't bed ya on the first night. He may get a lil' handsy, but there won't be too many scandals involvin' me boy. Got all that?"

Fara nodded.
"Of course.", she answered, understanding very well. "And to be honest, I wouldn't want to have it any other way. We both have public images to uphold and too many eyes watching for exactly such slips." She leaned over, whispering. "Besides, if you do it on the first night, it tells much about the way you want the relationship to develop. And I don't want my relationship with Aceus to develop into one purely based on physical attraction."
She sighed, letting a beat pass.
Then she smiled.
"Thank you for these very honest and frank words and the advice.", she said and added in Sindarin, her pronunciation most likely being horrible: "Thank you very much."[/spoiler]

"Valar's Virtue, I need to get you a teacher." she smiled, gradually understanding the phrase uttered "But your Sindarin is better than his Kyrenaian." she paused, leaning back on her wheelchair, tapping her chin as if to wrack the thoughts from her mind. "Ah, one last thing. Ace'll probably save the last dance for you, so don't be afraid to dance with someone who catches your eye. Even Eddie, my little troublemaker of a nephew." she gestured to the long-haired gentleman in blue. "He'll probably offer a dance, but he wouldn't dare to steal you away from Ace. Not after all the times Ace's silver tongue convinced me not to thrash the boy." she chuckled, then began to lazily eye the aged Vizier. "He's Mahamut, you think he'll fancy a dance? Granted, I'm probably the shortest woman he's danced with, but just to make sure things are perfectly clear for all parties involved."

With that Aceus would rise from the head of the table, clinking a spoon against the glass, and causing the room to dull down into silence. "Esteemed guests!" the Dancerian King would begin. "Friends, Nobles, veterans of old, and honoured kin. As it has been in the days of old, so shall it be this day, so shall it be for all days to come, that the time under a Dancerian hall be a time of togetherness, of merriment." Chancellor Villiers would present an elagently sealed wooden box, contained within was a large, silver winged crown, the Great Crown of the Kings of Danceria. A pause as the Chancellor would place the crown on his head, and stand at the left hand of Aceus. "Let us enter as lords and princes, but leave as brothers and friends evermore!"

With that, the band struck up a classic waltz, and many of the Dancerians paired off with one another. Snow went naturally to his wife, who was woefully placed near the end of the table, and a small gaggle of giggling girls would unceremoniously shove one of their own towards the Kyrenaian prince. After a bit of a huff, she steeled herself and walked over to him. She was in a suit, a chic one, but nevertheless stood oddly out from the convocation of conservative attire, and she seemed to be determined to get a dance with the young man. An interesting development, if Nana's raised eyebrow and bemused grin had any indication.

"Speaking of, I think the dance is underway."

"Granddammit", the Suzumikami muttered under her breath as she returned to the hall.

The reason for her frustration was easy enough to deduce, though in all likelihood it was unknown to the assembled dignitaries: her bones were acting up again. Her doctors' advice as she finished up her rehab a year ago was to smoke a joint as soon as possible whenever the pain started to return. It something that was both difficult and inconvenient given her position (and where she was at present), not to mention ironic, as her marijuana habit was part of the reason why she sustained the injuries (and the ghastly scars) she did in the first place; only her knowledge of the pain that lingered deep within her prevented her from ignoring the recommendation.

As it was, however, she had lost a prime opportunity to introduce herself to the "re degli illustri guerrieri con i capelli lustri", as she had playfully called the Lotharian sovereign earlier. Quickly she cast her eyes about in search of the compagno, only to discover that he was himself preoccupied.

Knowing when to fold it for the time being, Kiako settled for the wall, hopeful eyes still darting for someone to talk to (or dance with, though she was, ahem, hardly a dancer). Then she remembered: "Ah, that Dancerian guy with the flaxen hair, what's his name again?"

Surprisingly, or perhaps out of fate, that self-same man would patiently be near her table, and bow. "Dear lady." he began, in a practiced but melodious tone, the coy look never seeming to leave his face. "May I have the honor of this first dance?"

[Dahon]

Kiako's eyes widened in surprise. "Wha-- I--" was what she managed to utter at first; she hadn't noticed the blonde-haired noble so near her before he brought himself to her attention. Now, come to think of it, I think I also forgot his name. Better to ask him later.

She wouldn't be Kiako Watanabe if she didn't recover quickly, however, and Kiako answered with her accustomed pluck, and maybe a hint of a sly smile, "The pleasure is mine, truly. But I'll have to warn you: dancing is not something I excel at."

[Danceria]

Kiako's eyes widened in surprise. "Wha-- I--" was what she managed to utter at first; she hadn't noticed the blonde-haired noble so near her before he brought himself to her attention. Now, come to think of it, I think I also forgot his name. Better to ask him later.

She wouldn't be Kiako Watanabe if she didn't recover quickly, however, and Kiako answered with her accustomed pluck, and maybe a hint of a sly smile, "The pleasure is mine, truly. But I'll have to warn you: dancing is not something I excel at."

"Teaching dancing however, is mine." he countered, pride for pluck. "As long as you don't trip over your own feet, anyone can learn to dance with ease." he would offer his arm to escort the Dahonian woman onto the ballroom. "That is, if you don't mind dancing with a Dancerian man."

[Narduo]

“I think Semparia is doing quite well, political, civil and economic freedoms have risen greatly, along with our economy and military. Speaking of military, is your nation’s involved in any? The Semparian Royal Force are active in two peacekeeping operations.”

"No, mas-" he quickly caught himself. "No, madam. Narduo has not really been involved internationally for a while..." This was true, at least officially.

The nation had pretty much attempted to keep to itself, going so far as inventing its own version of the internet. "El Ascor'zat" - or 'Great Knowledge Zone' - had been invented years prior to the interwebs, but did not require satellite access or long intranet connection cables (like in real life North Korea).

Instead, it functioned as a relay network of massive radio towers. Through powerful microwave 'lasers' the towers could use the troposphere as a reflective layer that would send any microwave signals back down to the ground at an angle, allowing for it to function similar to a satellite in space. The only real setback was the obvious construction costs and energy bills...

Radio waves were less energetic than microwaves and thus requiring less electrical power. And while sending a satellite into space was super expensive, it provided a great deal of coverage, something that el Ascor'zat could only mimic via building relays all over Narduo. Still worked fine - especially since maintaining the gear could be done without a rocket launch -, but it was unlikely to help Narduo in the long-term.

However, it still kept in the internationally affairs game... If only to watch its region for any action. It may have been isolationist, but since its reason was war it was unlikely to let another one happen due to its own negligence. "Our military has been brought down to the work of national defense."

----------

With that Aceus would rise from the head of the table, clinking a spoon against the glass, and causing the room to dull down into silence. "Esteemed guests!" the Dancerian King would begin. "Friends, Nobles, veterans of old, and honoured kin. As it has been in the days of old, so shall it be this day, so shall it be for all days to come, that the time under a Dancerian hall be a time of togetherness, of merriment." Chancellor Villiers would present an elagently sealed wooden box, contained within was a large, silver winged crown, the Great Crown of the Kings of Danceria. A pause as the Chancellor would place the crown on his head, and stand at the left hand of Aceus. "Let us enter as lords and princes, but leave as brothers and friends evermore!"

With that, the band struck up a classic waltz, and many of the Dancerians paired off with one another. Snow went naturally to his wife, who was woefully placed near the end of the table, and a small gaggle of giggling girls would unceremoniously shove one of their own towards the Kyrenaian prince. After a bit of a huff, she steeled herself and walked over to him. She was in a suit, a chic one, but nevertheless stood oddly out from the convocation of conservative attire, and she seemed to be determined to get a dance with the young man. An interesting development, if Nana's raised eyebrow and bemused grin had any indication.

"Speaking of, I think the dance is underway."

Curnet Olat immediately turned his head at that, the two janiks looking from the corner of their vision. The curnet understood enough English to understand that King Aceus was addressing the guests and inviting them to join one another for a dance within the hall room... Or that he was thankful for everyone coming and wanted everyone to have a good time. Olat had assumed either one until the music started and the dancers went into the middle. Dancing, right.

He should have expected that they would begin about now, what with them coming so late and all that... Though, he saw no need to rush himself or the rest of the Narduans to follow the party's schedule. It was not like dancing was a priority for them anyways...

[Masir,] sent Nui, holding a plate of prawns on a plate as he walked toward Olat.

[Janik, what in Taranus are you doing?]

To any onlookers, it would seem like Nui was just silently staring at Olat as he seemingly just relayed orders to him. [Just enjoying the food, masir. Truthfully, I wanted to ask you for permission to do such. The prawns were under assault, thus I grabbed them beforehand.]

Did Olat actually spend that much time staring at his surroundings? Surely it could not be long enough for one of his men to just grab a prawn? [Fine, you are allowed. However, stray not.]

[Will do, Curnet.] Nui sent, saluting right after. He then took of his gas mask, revealing his messy dark brown hair and hazel eyes.

Nui immediately chugged a tailless prawn down his mouth, savoring the taste before his commanding officer walked up to him. "And get a haircut, son. You're pass regulatory standards."

The curnet walked back to the side of Lar-Rexen Artter and Ighim Xeoy, his subordinate checking his hair length and comparing it to his finger.

----------
"Huh, it seems that the dancing is now." Artter would have gulped, if he did not mind drawing attention to himself. Elohim, help, I can't dance ballroom style...