Cinyroite Septuagennial (IC/Meillur-Only)

[Cinyras]

The time has come to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Formation of Cinyras, which in its young life has gone through great change. Once merely the contested and divided colony—or colonies— of the Espanard Republics and the Russen Empire, seventy years ago the divided island was united into one and granted its independence under a sovereign absolute monarchies, Enríkos I of Cinyras.

Now, 70 years later, the grandson of that first monarch reigns as Enríkos II over a nation that has seen environmental devastation, corporatization of its people, and yet also seen Cinyroite gain new allies, and economic development and freedom. At the same time, the young king marks the fifth anniversary of his ascension to the throne, and the rise of his popularity after years of being virtually loathed by his citizens.

With the start of a new decade, and the last of the first generation of Cinyroites dying, the nation rejoices as it marks this occasion of independence and freedom in the only way that the Cinyroites know how to. With a grand party and a series of celebrations. Their chief ringleader naturally being their young king, famous (or infamous depending on one’s point of view) for his lavish and elaborate parties.

The main celebration, that is, the one of the elites, was aboard the newly acquired starship that Enríkos has decided to rename, the Ionna, after his late beloved grandmother. The ship was originally a New English warship, until a great disaster had seen it fall into the hands of Dasserias Nikarion, a genetically augmented grand lord turned rogue turned independent merchant, who now found himself in the court of the King of Cinyras.

Enríkos, who has long played catch-up and mediator to the great powers, Russlande, Derita, Gênes and the Dutch Empire has been delighted to have a legion fall into his lap. Nikarion was also brothers—albeit, not precisely by blood—with Vex Morgan, de facto prime minister of Inrov, over which Enríkos’ sister-in-law reigned. Enríkos had thus decided to have the celebration aboard the military-turn-merchant-turn-military-again ship, briefly adding party ship it the list of its uses.

Cinyroite and Gênoise workers and engineers had spent countless hours to retrofit the ship for warfare, not that Enríkos expected it to ever truly be used for such things, as well as having one of its massive cargo compartments turned into an specially designed observation deck. With tilted walls fixed with large reinforced stellar windows that looked out over the planet below. Within the room it was an explosion of culture clash.

Marble pillars, palm and laurel trees, had been placed inside the starship, yards upon yards of sky blue and metallic gold silk curtains crisscrossed the ceiling and down the walls, stamped with the sun symbol of Enríkos. Holographic orbs of lights shifting in color from white to orange to gold to blue floated around the room like stars.

The lights formed various constellations taken from Cinyroite mythology. Near the entrance of the grand room was a fountain of chocolate, upon the center of which stood a life size granite statue of Enríkos I as he had looked in his thirties when he’d become King. On the opposite end of the room was a caramel fountain with a life size granite statue of Loudovíkos, the second king of Cinyras.

in the center of the room should a massive fountain of Montmorency wine that was bright red with a pink undertone. It was a special mix of kiberry, grapes and cherry wine, sweet, tart, intoxicating with mild aphrodisiac effects. Wine shot up into the air in grand spurts, synchronized in their flow. In the center stood a larger than life (twice as large) mostly nude golden state of Enríkos II, dressed as the sun god, Apollon, set in the center of the holographic galaxy.

The trip up from the planet below was a thrilling adventure for those who didn’t often travel to space, for, despite hundreds of thousands of people having done so, was the case for billions of humans. Shuttles from the surface took their passengers, carefully scanned, searched, disarmed and reviewed for safety, up the thousands of miles above earth up to the ship’s geostationary orbit, where they then were funneled through a docking bridge into the ship directly into the converted observation deck.

There were Cinyroite guards, both the ones seen dressed in traditional fustanella uniforms, as well as the ones unseen. Most the guests by default were the nobles of Cinyras, many the sons and daughters of Dukes and Duchesses and counts and countesses of the nobility that had been created seven decades before.

As the guests arrived, the live band, dressed as the ancient goddesses the Muses, began playing music, traditional Cinyroite folksongs, mostly in the background in a tableau of serenity.

[Inrov Conclave]

Dassarias stood there in a custom fitted suit, something he was not used to wearing in the slightest, he usually wore his armor around outsiders, however, he had decided, under no small amount of pressure from Enrikos, to dress nicely for the occasion. It fit him tightly, but was well pressed and kept.

He couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy around all of the bright colors, he had spent most of his life around the dull utilitarian grey of starships and military barracks, and it had not improved much after the Disaster. All of the smells and sounds were almost too much for his augmented senses, the Grand Lord having to use his sensory suppressors to keep the sensations from overwhelming him, however none of this internal struggle showed on his face, which stayed in a neutral, almost unemotional state , something the Grand Lords were almost famous for doing during such situations. He could only watch as the guests began to arrive, unsure what their reaction would be to him.

[Les Etats Connuriste]

The celebration of the 70th anniversary of the formation of Cinyras had ironically reminded the Emperor of Connuriste that very soon he would be marking a 70th anniversary of his own, namely the formation of the House of Pearson. That was due to come in 2092, a year after his 30th anniversary of reigning that was due next year, and a year before Connor II would turn fifty. The man didn't overly like the idea of getting older - who did - and whilst he was still relatively good-looking, he saw no real reason to refuse the opportunity to experience these kind of events. Indeed, much of the year so far he had spent pursuing a partner, and a Cinyroite celebration... well, to say it was as good a place as any to look would be a lie. Everything he knew of Connuriste's island neighbours told him that it was in fact a better place than most for that kind of thing. His young counterpart in Cinyras was very well known for his lifestyle, and he had heard much about it from Antoinette, and learned even more from reading her Hetairos series. Antoinette, of course, being very much on his radar as a potential partner, though he was unsure whether he and her were looking for the same thing. To say that he could settle for her would be a far too harsh and offensive phrase to use - he had too much respect for her to ever think about using those words - but nevertheless, she still remained the most sensible and safe option. And whilst it wouldn't be unwise to take that path, given his disastrous relationship with Charlotte, he still wished to keep his options open for now, as much as the press seemed to like the idea of the two of them together.

In the spirit of his intentions, the Emperor of Connuriste wore one of his favourite fitted suits, and his face was completely clean shaven. He could grow quite the facial hair, but he was not a fan of the grey colour that came through with it in the past couple of years. A proper shave made him look a little more youthful, and he did it because it made him feel more confident.

He was intrigued to find how exactly this ship would play host to the celebration, with it not being a purpose built pleasure craft like the one he had recently commissioned from his Atmoran friends. He was no expert in the philosophy of architecture, but he thought brutalist would be a good word to use to describe what he expected from it. The New English had always given off the impression of function over form, truly the utilitarian type rather than overly concerned with aesthetics, indeed why their supersoldiers were huge mountains of men as opposed to 'normal' people wearing sleek and elegant armor sets. It was a design philosophy that contrasted with that of the Cinyroites, and yet that was why in the back of mind he could the setting somehow actually working. No doubt the King would have redesigned it to his tastes, full of bright colour and ornate decorations.

The trip up on the shuttle was one he considered uneventful, even if he was not used to being scanned and searched, he understood why it was done and knew that non-compliance was hardly an option. Connor had never been the type to be overly concerned when others did not treat him with all of the privileges that a head of state typically expected. In fact, he often found it refreshing to be treated more as an equal to others, and upon reflection he had quite the regular habit of insisting that people need not to always refer to him by title when he did meet others for the first time. The trip gave him just enough time to consider if crossing paths with the Cinyroites could be awkward, given his recent pressures on them during the Gariano crisis, and indeed, there was also that other time he had persuaded them to sell out the whereabouts of the Portuguese King from behind his own daughter's back, but he liked to be optimistic and assume that the King had so much other things going on to be bothered by any of that for long. It was all in the past as far as Connor was concerned, and indeed, he held no dislike at all for the Cinyroites, rather he was relatively fond of them. And if it was going to be a little awkward this time, at least it would likely make things less so when he was due in Cinyras again very soon for his daughter's concert at the Isle of Music, a place that the King had constructed in her honour of course.

Arriving on to the converted observation deck, the first thing he noticed were the traditional Cinyroite folk songs, which Antoinette had done much to educate him about in the many letters he and her had exchanged. She had sent him several recordings of the well-written ones she most admired, knowing that Connor too shared a love for music, though for Connor there was nothing he was ever going to love more than the classical orchestra.

[Communist Espana]

It had naturally been deemed necessary for the King and Queen of Espana to attend the septuagennial anniversary of Cinyras. It was from Espana that the Communist Republic of Cinyras, that had been little more than a province of the Espanards, had joined the Russen Colony of Cinyras to form the modern kingdom. There was also the matter of the King of Espana and the King of Cinyras being cousins, second cousins once removed to be exact. It had been Carlos IV’s great-grandmother, Veronica, who had presented the Cinyroite throne to Enríkos I, her younger brother.

The history between Cinyras and Espana since then had, perhaps rather surprisingly been quite separate. Queen Veronica had had little interest in her little brother’s kingdom, and her sons even less so. It did not help that the intervening decades had seen Cinyras grow into the antithesis of the socialist philosophy that dominated Espana, even with its people’s monarchy. Espana was a state were socialist economic policy dominated, the present monarchs having brought them back to levels not seen since that of the paramount leaders at the beginning of the century. Cinyras meanwhile had been a dystopic capitalist hell, were its massive wealth was held in the hands of the select few, whilst their people were made to work in the fields of their ruined environment.

So great was the contrast in Cinyras and Espana was that the latter’s chief export to the former was shipments of monkspepper, a fruit that was endemic to Espana that counteracted the effects of enríkosvilla, which was endemic to Cinyras. Queen Emeretia Sara was said to be the chief consumer of the product.

Queen Frederica and, less importantly, King Carlos IV however has no objection to the state of affairs in Cinyrss, at least none worth raising a fuss over at a party. Carlos IV, a tall muscular man built like an ox dressed in the simple comrade green uniform worn by the members of the government, had spent most of his life in the equally capitalist kingdom of Gênes as a private citizen and as a professional boxer. In all honesty the young king was rather disappointed that his prime minister and wife had insisted that he give up his boxing career to become king.

Queen Frederica, a short but imposing woman who was the real power in Espana through the National Police, held her head high as she lead her husband into the converted observation deck. Queen Frederica, several years older than her husband and Enríkos couldn’t help but be horrified, if not surprised, that Enríkos had turned a military vessel into a party ship. Frederica wore a simple army green jumpsuit, black heeled boots and pearl earrings, her light brown hair cut back short so that it just barely touched her shoulders.

The ride up from the surface had been rather thrilling for Carlos IV, who had never been to space before, decidedly remaining on earth with his kids. It was quite the sight to see the planet slowly grow smaller and smaller as they went into orbit. Queen Frederica on the contrary had fought for years bouncing between far flung planets turning the Carnage, the civil war in Espana had had ended years ago. Frederica had been in several crash landings onto the surface of planets and several hasty evacuations, and even been sucked into the void of space. All in all, this was her most pleasant trip into space.

King Carlos IV carried a small wooden box that had been thoroughly inspected by the Cinyroites, and had been approved of, for it held within it a gift from Espana to Cinyras.

[Vozh]

The next arrival was something of a mystery. She certainly wasn't royalty, and yet she had still gained access to the exclusive event. She certainly could have passed as the evening's entertainment. Normally six feet tall, she struck an even more unusual figure in her high heels. Her fire-red hair was pulled back into a tight bun, of the type one might associate with a teacher. Her dress, however, was far less conservative. Indeed, she had obviously taken a liking to Cinyrote dress sensibilites with a loose panel of sheer red fabric on either side of her body, fastened about her waist with a gold-coloured belt passing as a "dress".

Nonetheless, even in the frankly ridiculous outfit, she managed to maintain a somewhat disconcerting air about her. She seemed alert and tense, even as she finished her second glass of wine. She scanned the room with green eyes, before closing in on a certain towering figure.

[Ryurik Rossiya]

"Well darling, this is certainly something!", exclaimed Grand Duchess Catherine. As the royal couple walked their first steps into the main area, the Grand Duchess and her fiancee, the Tsarina wore similar and lavish-looking sleeveless, white coloured gowns, their hemlines softly grazing the ground below as they walked in unison. "Though this is my first time being in such an extremely lavish party, I have to certainly congratulate the organisers for such feat", surely enough, Catherine could not stop herself from complimenting about the party's magnificent scenery.

Upon coming to a stop infront of a towering golden statue, the Grand Duchess leaned in a bit closer to her partner's ears. "I believe that this is our unofficial pre-marital honeymoon?", questioned the former in a whisper. "Well, it seems that it is, yes", replied the tsarina as her eyes met her fiancee's. The two ladies quickly embraced each other in a short kiss of celebration.

[Cinyras]

Princess Adeline of Cinyras glided through the the crowd of nobles and royals entering the observation deck of the ship in ease in her silver heels. Adeline, the younger sister of King Enríkos II, the Artemis to his Apollon, was a lovely petite young woman. She wore a long flowing silver dress with a high waist tied with a silver cord. From the waist up her dress was as black at the stellar sky outside the windows of the observation deck. From the waist down it fell in like waterfalls of liquid silver over her legs, the design of black stars peppering the skirts. Her shear sleeves fluttered around her arms as she moved. Her long blonde hair flowing down her back to show off her glittering diamond earrings, each the size of a cherry, whilst a platinum and diamond tiara sat atop her head, weighing several pounds, though Adeline had practiced wearing it for weeks before the party.

The Princess of Cinyras’ blonde hair and pale skin, quick to turn red with a blush, was all she had in common with her older brother. She had inherited her grandmother’s deep mocha eyes and her father’s plain features. She was respectably pretty, but she was no great vision of heavenly desire as her brother had turned himself into. She was the moon to his sun, glimmering, but not quite as bright. Adeline, the only Princess born to the Cinyroite Royal Family in three generations, had decided that she preferred to play the role of the moon as opposed to that of the sun.

Princess Adeline made her way over to the newest of her brother’s guests at court, Lord Nikarion, whose serve had been acquired along with the ship they stood on now. Adeline, a short woman, was dwarfed by the supersoldier, though she wasn’t intimidated. Christianós was her brother-in-law, she’d spent years learner to not be cowed by towering soldiers. Christianós wasn’t unkind, but he did project a presence of dominance that only Enríkos and the stupid seem to ignore. Well. They might not be precisely different groups. In any case. Lord Nikarion simply had two extra feet to his height more than your average tall soldier.

“Lord Nikarion,” Adeline said, standing a few steps back as not to have to crane her neck to look up at him, “How are you enjoying our celebration? I do believe you can consider this your social debut, no?” Adeline smiled pleasantly.

[Vatoria]

With the recent treaty signed between the Vatoriese government and the Cinyroite King, it has been deemed polite to send representatives to attend the celebratory function of the 70th anniversary of the formation of Cinyras. The representatives selected was the Vatoriese Ambassador, a former member of the Foreign Trade Committee, Chamunorwa Chikwava. Chikwava, in his fifties was a short and round balding man with beady black eyes. He wore a fine suit with a pin of the Vatoriese flag on it with a green tie.

However it was Chikwava’s nephews, Mauya and Munaki Jokonya who been assigned as attachés of the embassy in Nikosia. It was not a move of nepotism, as some if not most may have suspected but one of careful government planning. Neither Mauya nor Munaki had been selected to join their uncle at the embassy for their skill in politics or diplomacy. Rather it had been assessed in secret by the Council of State that the two young men were vital diplomatic assets.

Recognizing the personality of the King of Cinyras and his lifestyle of having many relationships with many different people, men and women, it had been deduced that the best way to gain favor for Vatoriese diplomatic interests would be to gain the private war of the Cinyroite King. Thus the twenty-one year old twins Mauya and Manuki, coming from a respected family, the Jokonya-Chikwavas, and deemed handsome enough to catch the flighty king’s action, had found themselves sent to join their uncle in a far away country as attachés.

Mauya and Manuki, identical twins, were not the brightest, nor were they told about the actual reasons for being sent to Cinyras, it was deemed that they would mess up due to nerves if they were given a delicate plan to follow, or might not interest the king if they were too smart. The pair were conventionally handsome, tall with dark brown skin, dark eyes, their black well kept dreadlocks pulled back into ponytails. Instead of suits they wore altered traditional green kitenge sideless tunics that hems reached their knees, well-fitting trousers, gold bracelets and boots.

Chikwava put on his best diplomatic smile as they stepped off of the docking bridge into the party, admiring the music. He wouldn’t have expected Cinyroites to listen to such... folky sounding music. It wasn’t particularly appealing to Chikwava’s ears. The Vatoriers preferred modern pop, as modernization and automation were seen as the cultural corner stones upon which their society was built. That and freedom. It was why Vatoriers saw through makes to make the nation a glittering steel and glass metropolis.

Cinyras on the the other hand seemed to have romanticized their ancient history, which felt wholly exotic and foreign to Chikwava. The ambassador spotted the Emperor of Connuriste and smiled, turning to his nephews, telling them to grab drinks while he spoke with the emperor. Mauya and Manuki nodded and walked over to the fountain of wine with the massive golden statue. They saw the couple, the tsarina and grand duchess and gave them a pair of matching smiles and short waves. Chikwava meanwhile walked over to speak with the Emperor of Connuriste.

[Inrov Conclave]

Dassarias gave a sight bow to the princess and said "Yes your majesty, I am finding it enjoyable, even if the smells and sounds are a bit much for my augmented senses, however, it is nothing that I cannot weather for the sake of personal enjoyment." he listened to her comment on this being his social debut and he responded with "I suppose you could call it that" he then said "However more due to the circumstances of the situation myelf and the legion found ourselves in than anything else, you must understand, we did not know whom we could trust, so we were, hesitant, to bring ourselves out into the light, least we attract unwanted attention."

[Ryurik Rossiya]

Before long, the two regained their initial postures and refocused on their surroundings. "Well, it would be fitting to come face to face with this king, wouldn't it?", the tsarina couldn't agree more on the suggestion. At first instinct, the royal pair went straight towards one of the guards, whom the Russian Catherine politely addressed. "Excuse me sir, but may I ask for assistance in locating His Majesty the King? Our entourage is eager to have an audience with His Majesty", questioned her, hoping for a hopeful answer.

[Les Etats Connuriste]

Connor found himself a drink, standing on the observation deck and taking in the view, in between observing the new arrivals from a distance. There was a lot to take in of his surroundings, and the longer he looked, there were more details that became obvious as his focus shifted from one part of the decorations to the next, from trees and soft silk curtains, emblazoned with the fittingly radiant sun that symbolised the King of Cinyras, to the ever colour-changing lights and the fountains of chocolate, caramel and what he could only assume was alcohol, though his own glass had not come from it. Even the statues were works of art, though he preferred the more tasteful ones of the King's predecessors over the scantily clad golden one of Enrikos II. The former ones reminded him of the statues that stood in Connuriste of his own predecessors, in the form of his mother and father. He imagined that they would always be more revered than any statues of himself would be, not least because they were the founders of modern Connuriste.

Connor did not pay all too much attention to Queen Frederica as he spotted her, he had mixed feelings about her and she quite possibly did about him. His treatment of Empress Charlotte's legacy had not impressed several of her family members, though of course he would say that she very much ruined it herself, not him. The Emperor of Connuriste was not particularly displeased that she had taken Espana from his daughter Adela and her husband Antonio, especially as they had not been harmed in the slightest, except perhaps bruises to their egos - but that was something that the two of them could do with taking. Connor always remembered Frederica more so for failing in the task he had given to her many years ago to put an end to Marie of Wied, although of course these days he was glad that she had indeed failed in that task. What did annoy him was the knowledge of who exactly she hadn't failed to put an end to, but that wasn't a topic for public discussion of any kind, let alone at an international event.

The Emperor had also noticed the tall woman with the red hair, who he briefly watched from a distance. He assumed she were a Cinyroite lady, given the outfit she wore, and he was relatively sure she was up to something. The way she looked across the room herself and the expression woven across her face seemed to indicate that she had something in particular in mind, though whatever that could be remained a mystery. Connor might have been tempted to find out, were he not approached by a shorter man whose suit pin identified him as being from Vatoria. The safe bet would be to guess that this man worked in government of some kind, though the Emperor's familiarity with Vatoria barely went beyond being able to recognise their flag. He gave him an a look of acknowledgement as the man came closer, his free hand extended as the other one held his glass.

[Cinyras]

Adeline failed to hold back a slight laugh. She couldn’t imagine why if Dassarias’ Legion had been so hesitant to come to the public eye why they would come to her brother. Enríkos didn’t exactly have the reputation for discretion. Though she did suppose what Enríkos lacked in discretion he made up for with tolerance. Enríkos was perhaps egalitarian, at least outside of the case of politics and had not a discriminatory bone in his body. Well, maybe a small one against the unattractive. Most of the world still looked at the augmented soldiers either has abominations or things to be tested on. Enríkos was perhaps one of the few monarchs who would not see Dassarias and his men as such.

“You are a servant of the King,” Adeline said reassuringly. “You can trust that my brother shall take care of you, and will be under his protection. I do hope that the event doesn’t overwhelm you too much. If needed I can have a servant find some ear plugs or something to help with that if you wish.”

One of the guards, asked by the Tsarina of Ryurik Rossiya for the whereabouts of the King directed her to the King’s long-suffering majordomo, the Count of Magnesia, or as he was better known, Magenta, a nickname that came not from his color scheme of outfits but from the King having never bothered to actually learn his majordomo’s name or how to actually say where he was the count of. Magenta, handsome with sharp features and feathery raven hair, wore a carnation pink high neck shirt and cerise harem trousers, iron arm bands decorating his biceps.

Magenta gave the tsarina and her fiancée a deep bow. “Your Majesty, His Majesty the King will be with you momentarily. I am sure that he shall be ever so pleased to see you once again. You both look breathtaking.”

[Racraigua]

Prince Roderic of Racraigua and his wife, Princess Stéphanie walked arm in arm together as they entered the observation deck of the starship. Roderic wore a tailor made tuxedo with a red, white and blue sash across his chest. He smiled brightly as he admired the the floating lights that shifted between colors as they moved around the room like stars. He looked up at the massive statue and chuckled. Enríkos was an absolute one of a kind. He was pleased to see however that the King of Cinyras had decided to be rather modest for his party. Roderic and Stéphanie regularly made visits to Appellios, and whilst each time the palace was entirely different, they were far wilder and scandalous than this. Roderic supposed that Enríkos had decided to hold back as not to overwhelm the many unfamiliar guests.

Nonetheless Roderic was floored, at least, as much as one could be on a starship. He found himself looking around feel a bit like a little kid in a museum. A loud, very bright museum. Roderic asked his wife:

“This is rather spectacular don’t you think?”

[Inrov Conclave]

Dassarias shook his head and said "I appreciate the offer your majesty, however it is not necessary, I am not suffering any hearing damage, simply mild irritation, I am capable of filtering it out enough, and if it gets worse my sensory suppressors can deal with it."

He then looked over and noticed the mysterious redheaded woman staring his way, and his eyes locked on her, she was looking at him as though a predator had found its prey. Looking away back towards the princess for a moment and said "I do not doubt the king's abilities, I was simply stating my reasons for lending my services and loyalty to his majesty"

[Ryurik Rossiya]

Upon being introduced to the majordomo, both ladies could only feel baffled at the choice of color for the former's outfit. However, the reply was assuring enough if the king was to appear as told. "I see, well then, we would be expecting for His Majesty's appearance here", replied Tsarina Catherine in a humble tone.

As to not have themselves just standing there like a pair of statues, the two decided to keep the conversation going. This time, the tsarina's fiancee decided to take the lead in order to make up for the lack of royal or noble status that her significant other possess. "If I may ask, is His Majesty doing alright at the moment? I do not want our sudden request to give him any trouble or sort", inquired McNeil.

[Dutch-Empire]

Stéphanie tossed a fluffy lock of her hair over her soldier with a disinterested glance at the the room. Enríkos never ceased to dazzle, not that Stéphanie would let him know. She made a point to never seem impressed by her brother-in-law. There was only room for one of their egos after all.

Stéphanie, the second daughter of Anna Charlotte, was dressed like an empress. Her gown was a deep dark red, that was striking against her dark skin and her voulu black curls that tumbled down her shoulders in a curly Afro. She wore well done mascara and maroon red lipstick. Her dress had a plunging neckline and full skirts like clouds. Large ruby earrings dangled on either side of her face, and her heels added some height to her naturally petite stature.

Stéphanie wore a red, white and blue sash across her chest, matching that if her husband Roderic’s. This was one of the first public international events they had attended since the birth of their first child, their adorable son, Roderic Enrique. It would be a lie to say that Stéphanie hadn’t missed being able to dance across the international stage. It would be a happy bonus if she was able to steal the spotlight from Enríkos.

“I suppose. Though I am sure that this is merely the hors d’œuvres of the celebration. Heaven knows what Enríkos has for an entrée. Probably involves space lasers.” She chuckled at the thought. “Maybe he’ll carve his face into the moon.”

Meanwhile, Christianós marched through the the crowd of nobles, who parted around him with ease. Christianós, towering—though not as tall as Enríkos’ newest pet, Lord Nikarion—and with a stoic face that made him look naturally disinterested and cold, which most of the time wasn’t far from the truth, no one dared to get in his way. He had his sister Stéphanie same good looks with the strong jaw, and dark skin of the Imperial Wessexs. The most striking aspect of Christianós was his eyes. Brilliantly hazel in color, he was famous for his glare that ripped through people’s souls.

Christanós made no apology for the prescience he imposed on those around him. Nor did he revel in it. He didn’t care. He hated being a royal. He loathed events like this. He had concocted a plan to fake their deaths and to live in anonymity, but that had been firmly rejected by his husband. Christianós stopped behind Enríkos, putting a hand to his back.

Christianós, never one to partake in the outrageous fashion of his adopted country, unless Enríkos wished to have another portrait done of him, wore sensible clothing. Still, Enríkos had picked it out and it was easily the most elaborate thing in his wardrobe instantly. The base of the outfit was simple enough, white pants that clung to him, and spotless field grade war boots. His broad upper body was covered by a white uniform with a high collar.

A literal golden sun with an equally golden rose in the center, his family symbol impaling Enríkos’, which was no doubt a lewd joke, blazed across Christianós’ chest, forming very shiny armor around his torso. His sleeves were well fitted against his burly arms, decorated with a line of golden banes from his wrists almost to his elbows. A golden elaborately knotted ascot peeked around from the hollow of the collar. A crown of golden laurels rested on Christianós’ black curls.

There had been a cape as part of the outfit, but Christianós had ripped it of and jettisoned into space.

“Hey,” Christianós said with the softnesss of a boulder, which for him was a tenderness no one else saw. “The count informed me that one of your guests are looking for you. Everything alright?”

[Vatoria]

Ambassador Chikwava smiled brightly as he took the hand of Emperor Connor, shaking it firmly. Chikwava looked up at the tall monarch with a respectful nod of his head. Although Chikwava was not assigned to Connuriste, that didn't mean he couldn't express interest in the economic connection of the Vyema, or Caerule Sea, the name Vatoriers named expanse of water that stretched from them to Cinyras, for its peaceful brilliant blue waters.

"Your Majesty, it is a pleasure, I'm Ambassador Chamunorwa Chikwava of Vatoria to Cinyras, and I just wished to introduce myself. I was a member of the committee that reviewed the Cinyroite economic international proposal that includes several of our nations, and whilst I'm no longer apart of that committee, I know that my fellow Vatoriers are excited to see better ties around the region. I suppose one such perk of such friendly relations must be getting to attend such magnificent parties."

Chikwava gestured to the brilliant decoration and crowd of whos-know.

"The King of Cinyras certainly knows how to part a celebration."

[Les Etats Connuriste]

The Emperor of Connuriste returned the ambassador's bright smile as he shook his hand, thankful that it was early enough in the evening that he had not yet had enough to drink to get the point where he would find it impossible to pronounce the man's name. Connor wondered if Chamunorwa went by another name for shorthand, but that was not particularly important at this very moment. It was interesting that this man had been a member of the Vatoriese committe that reviewed the economic proposal the Cinyroites had made to the local regional community.

"I'm excited to see how the Cinyroite proposal develops," admitted the Emperor of Connuriste. "But even if it should not progress any further than just an idea, I can certainly say that either way I would be interested to see how our two nations can grow closer."

Connor II took the opportunity to briefly survey the crowd once more as Ambassador Chikwava gestured generally towards them and the scenery that adorned the ship.

"Enrikos definitely knows how to throw a party, or so I have heard." he added, having not exactly experienced one himself, but having heard much about them.

[Cinyras]

Adeline nodded her head, understanding. The Princess of Cinyras noticed that Lord Nikarion's eyes had drifted away from her up and over the crowd to someone else. Adeline was rarely the person who commanded attention, nor did she particular mind. However, she was still the Princess of Cinyras, and rarely found a person of such an inferior position such as the lord who so openly drew bored of her conversation and looking to others. Adeline followed Lord Nikarion's gaze and found them resting on a tall red-headed woman for a moment before they flicked back to her.

"Forgive me," Adeline said, "but do you know that woman?"

Adeline gestured to the redhead. She looked like she could be apart of Adeline's brother's court of ladies, but Adeline knew most of those ladies and this one didn't seem familiar. She was pretty, though not Adeline's type, she didn't care much for red hair, she preferred brunettes. The woman wasn't looking for the king, but at the lord, which raised suspicion. Besides, it was infinitely more interesting to see what type of person both looked at the lord so hungrily and caught his attention. Adeline was not one for drama, but it was oftentimes quite valuable to play witness to it unfurling before her.

Meanwhile Magenta waved his hand as if to dismiss the young woman's concerns about the king and his whereabouts. He'd noticed the pair had looked a bit shocked by his outfit. He had actually grown quite fond of the color over the years. A motif of his now he supposed, even if it hadn't been such originally. "I assure you that His Majesty is fine. With the celebration, the king has been made to do so much, but he is his usual dazzling self. You needn't worry in the slightest about causing trouble, I'm sure he will be quite happy to speak with you."

[Inrov Conclave]

Dassarias simply shook his head and said "I am not familiar with her, she may be someone I have done business with in the past, but I avoided face to face meetings during those days, there was no shortage of entities and organizations whom would've liked nothing more than to have tracked my legion down" he then said "I do not believe it would be appropriate to discuss the variety of fates that one of my legionaires would have possibly faced at the hands of such an organization, it would ruin the spirit of the party."

He then said "That was the cause for my lapse in attention, such a stare is rare in the extreme, hence why it drew my suspicion"

[Cinyras]

Adeline nodded, taking a second glance at the woman. Interesting. Her brother had not been one to elaborate as to his reasoning to inviting, or rather accepting Lord Nikarion’s service, that is, if Enríkos had a definitive reasoning behind it. Though the grimness of the fate that Nikarion hinted at in his voice perhaps played a role. One way or another

“Well then. I do suppose an eye should be kept on her.” Adeline said, her eyes drifting across the room. They drifted back up to Lord Nikarion. “Also, I would like a list of the... how did you put it? Entities and organizations that wish to track you and your legionaries.”

Adeline smiled brightly, though it was clear her smile was more for the guests that the man she was conversing with, “Would you be a dear and find out what you can about that woman.” Though it had been framed as if it were a question, there was inflection in her voice, marking it clearly as an edict.

[Vatoria]

Chikwava nodded his head in agreement.

“I do believe that I’d the general consensus in Vatoria. We would like to see a strong circle of allies in trade. And though we may be the smallest, that does not mean we do not have much to offer. We are tiny but mighty as they say.”

Chikwava plucked you a drink of his own from a passing server. Let out a laugh as he shook his head at all the glittering splendor around them.

“I can only imagine how much this all cost. The bill of party decorations themselves must have been outrageous, but to put it all in orbit? By heavens, I don’t think my little heart would be able to take it if I saw it.”

[Racraigua]

Prince Roderic choked as he was caught off guard by Stéphanie’s prediction. Whilst he instinctively wanted to assure her that certainly Enríkos wouldn’t do such a thing, he pondered over it and found that such an assertion would ultimately be a lie.

“Oh god, don’t say that too loudly, you might give him ideas. Can you imagine having to look up at the night sky ever night and see him beaming down on the world?”

[Les Etats Connuriste]

Connor II laughed as Chikwava shared his concerns over the possible expenses that could have gone into this thing, thinking that the shorter man would probably collapse if he told him about his most recent major purchase, a space yacht that cost an eye-watering 70 billion. Even Connor himself could barely believe he was doing such a thing when he placed the order, having justified it only by considering it an investment. It was effectively a self-propelled palace, and it would be worth keeping in the family long after he had gone for any official imperial duties his descendants may undertake . It was commonplace for many heads of state to have a special car or a special aircraft, and with humanity only ever looking more and more towards the stars, he could live with it. He had certainly been more self-indulgent and self-interested since the full extent of Charlotte's deceitfulness had come to light, trying to make up for lost time given all the years of his life he had wasted on her. Not to mention that he felt being cautious was one of the major things that had held him back throughout much of his life and reign, and he was finally using all the past events in his life as motivation to firmly live the best one he could - where he did what he wanted to and stopped holding himself back from making the decisions he really wished to.

"When you return to Vatoria..." began the Emperor, pausing to enjoy some of his drink, "tell them that you've secured an audience with me to discuss a fantastic trade deal. Here isn't quite the place to discuss the intricacies of it, but some time soon in Lausanne I think would be a great idea."

[Inrov Conclave]

Dassarias nodded and said "I will make an attempt"

He made his way towards the red haired woman, secretly admiring the crimson shade it shown. He crossed the space with a surprising amount of speed for a person of his size.

He approached the woman, and said "Greetings, I couldn't help but notice such a vibrant lady such as yourself, I do hope it would not be too much of a bother if I may know your name"