14:32 hours, 22 May 9E 15C
Raesid couldn't stay still, he'd felt like it had been hours since he started pacing about the house. Every time he made a pass he was constantly annoyed by that particular creak in the floor board near the end of the hallway. He turned around again inspecting that particular spot from a distance with an assessing squint in his eyes. He clenched his fists, the want to hit something was building in him like pressure in a can, the want to punish something for how he felt, but he couldn't bare going out unless he ran into someone who for the umpteenth time would try to tell him everything would be 'alright'. It wasn't alright, none of it has been for some time and nothing he could do would give him some damned sense of peace. For all the help his friends were trying to be it felt as though they were 'babying' him and that thought rotted like a pit in his stomach.
"Och!". Its not their fault..
The withdrawal of Imperial Forces from Lizardiar was a couple years back now. It was the most disgusting and humiliating experience of his life that seems to have taken over everything he cared about. It was all made worse without Desva beside him... Oh she would understand, she would feel it as bad as him, no worse! She always worried more than him and for whatever reason he felt more calm in himself when she vented his frustration for him and could comfort her and laugh about how it was him who was frustrated in the first place. Her ability to empathize made her so lovable but it was also her struggle..
He would smile if that memory too wasn't tainted with its own sense of grief and loss.
Again he paced about midway through the hallway until he heard that creak again, in his head it was as though that noise was like a loud piercing cry and then CRASH! He stamped on it as hard as he could in frustration until he got on his knees and beat it with his fists. Tears flowed in fierce grunts and cries as he kept pounding that One. Damned. Spot. BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM. bam. bam. bam.. bam... This war weary soldier had no 'peace' as they called it. His strength faded with the anger until it all turned to the sorrow he struggled to express...
Bevaryn Fiefdom Palatinate HQ, The Kuritan Empire in Altane
"Wasn't this well and truly settled ages ago? Seriously, this file is so annoying and keeps popping up SO much it may as well be Unmar from Human Resources! Seriously though, that guy doesn't take a hint"
Yurople a young woman working the Bureaucratic circles in Bevaryn brandished the file in one hand, bracing the other on her superior's Desk while she confidently locked eyes with the Under-Palatiness. The Under-Palatine was an older woman herself with the air a school principal racing all around her, glasses seated on nose, grey hair in a tight bun and everything. Especially that derisive look her eyes gave back without her so much as moving her head while only stopping that incessant writing of hers for the briefest of seconds. Boy was that intimidating. This environment suited people like her, as wth most Altanians they were by nature big on ceremony and custom. These kind of jobs were caked with it, even their office outfits required white ribbons on both shoulders of their suit coats which for men reached down to their knees. Women still wore more professional dresses with the same ribbons with belt worn across the shoulder to hip in addition to the already large customary ceremony belt worn around the waist. Yet there were still more informal moments like these which were certainly liberating for people like Yurople.
"You said you wanted to advance. People who want to advance do the dirty and boring jobs without complaint". The Under-Palatiness said it with such parental authority it did feel like being at home with her parents again. Let's just repress that feeling for a second..
"I get that! But what do I even do with this one? When the peace was struck it was a mutual parting of ways where there would be no further recriminations, certainly not trials!"
"Do you ever pay attention to the news?" sighed the Under-Palatine. "Things always change, especially in democracies where government policy can shift like wild moods. People used to keep women like us out of jobs like these on that basis and yet evidently that's how some people seem to like being ruled."
Yurople shifts to a seat carefully noting how many files currently sit on the Under-Palatiness' desk had already carefully processed. She did in fact work like a machine. Which might explain her difficulty with 'other' machines like her computer, she snickered. The Under-Palatiness either didn't notice or bother to comment on the snicker before passing over a printed article from an online news service.
It read:
Protests call for War Tribunal!
125,000 protestors appeared in the Lizardian Capital for the second year in a row marking the anniversary of the Imperial Withdrawal from their Nation. The protestors followed their pledge from the previous year to 'besiege' the Kuritan Imperial Embassy in an attempt to pressure the Kuritan Government to respond to demands to allow alleged War Criminals to be placed on trial for crimes committed during their service in Lizardiar and further Imperial restitution for the Occupation. Heralds of the Imperial Throne have responded by seemingly repeating their statement from last year announcing that "The Will of the Kuritan Emperor is for the Empire to continue to honour the Spirit of the withdrawal agreement with the Sovereign Nation of Lizardiar as it was made at that time". The Statement which was unchanged from last year led to increased frustration from the protestors who reacted angrily to what they called "continued Imperial denial". The resulting riot was quickly contained by Federal Riot Police before it could result in damage to the Embassy or injury to its staff. Imperial Minister for Protocol, Liod Fare warned "Should such an incident occur against our Emperor's Sovereign property or His Subjects it would be the responsibility of the Lizardian Government and could not by any means be ignored. We urge the strict restraint in these tense matters".
Again, this statement, claims Protest organizer Rick Orsoun "is completely in line with the rhetoric that resulted in the Occupation in the first place. The Kuritan Empire must take further responsibility in order for their to be a true peace between our two countries". Government sources continue to put forward the fact that the Imperial Government has kept every term of the Withdrawal Agreements since its signing including Compensation payments from the Imperial Treasury but called the response overseas a clear symptom of "an unwillingness to forgive".
We interviewed...
Yurople thought honestly there was no point reading any further, it was more of the same. The point was clear, the consequences of the Occupation are going to stick around for a while.
"Well so what? Nothing is really changing and there's no need to investigate this file any further than we already have. We investigated the claims of war crimes, we identified the soldiers and we keep regular tabs on them regardless." Yurople couldn't help saying that with a bit of an attitude, seemed a natural occurrence when talking with her. Ok..maybe not just her.
"There's a man from the Imperial Ministry of War coming to the City. That alone should tell you something."
Indignant she was probably going to say something she'd regret but before Yurople could even respond she cuts her off before she got the first syllable off her tongue.
"But in case it doesn't, if an official from Raultome comes all the way here to deal with something like this instead of a local War Ministry bureaucrat like yourself then that might mean that our Kuritan Emperor may be considering all of his options." That dull look that rested on her face as she lifted her face to finally look at Yurople just made her feel small. Diminutive in her eyes. Ah well, she was getting tired off this conversation anyway.
"So you'll go over the file, do your part, report everything necessary to the official and then when it is done I'll give you your next job". The Under-Palatiness finished her document with a signature that almost looked like she paper should've recoiled in pain.
Yurople rolled her eyes and stood. Bound by custom, she nodded her head with a small curtsy.
"You should see an optometrist about that". Yurople didn't see but she swore that Under-Palatiness smirked as she said it that snarky b...
OOC: At the moment, I'm just doing these points for my own amusement. If anyone happens to be interested in doing RP with me, send me a TG and include references to previous RP's you've done.