Daily Life and Diplomacy (Jygeria Only, IC)

[Kagetori]

"So, Sophia...I take it you'll be staying with us a while longer then?" Bird smiled and hugged both her fellow leaders. "We can say it's a diplomatic conference about the state of the region in the wake of the coup in Kallist. Which, to be fair, it kind of is."

[Lower Wardandian]

"I'm going to get Marie back." Sophia said. "No matter the cost. So, yes, for the time being, I will be staying here."

[Kagetori]

"Good." Bird turned Sophia's head towards hers and kissed her. "I missed you, you know."

[Lower Wardandian]

Sophia cleared her throat. "I still care deeply about you, Bird." She said. "But after our time apart, I don't know if I still feel the same affection I once did. I trust you, more than even many of my own countrymen, but I don't think I'm in love like I am with Eris." A pause. "I'm sorry."

With that, she pulled out of the embrace and walked away.

[Kagetori]

Bird sighed to herself. "Yeah, after what happened between us, I don't blame you," she said quietly, barely audible. Out loud, she said, "We should probably contact the Horusian Chaos and St. Jonas about this. Give them a head's up, if nothing else."

Director Case shrugged. "You know, after today, I think I see what you two like about the Merchant-General."

[Lower Wardandian]

A little while later, Sophia returned, having had a few drinks, which calmed her nerves. She went to find Eris, wanting to talk about what happened earlier.

[Kallist]

"I'm going to get Marie back." Sophia said. "No matter the cost. So, yes, for the time being, I will be staying here."

"Good." Eris said, hugging them both. "Because all of Jygeria is counting on us."

-----

Hilary Smoochnger sat in her office, smirking to herself. She had been waiting so long for this. To finally seize power and show how to correctly achieve the anarchist ideal. Through the slow, gradual elimination of the individual. Without an identity, without any thought that wasn't towards the Establishment. Without anything. Then, and only then, would true anarchism be achieved. She was a frail woman, maybe in her late fifties, with graying dark blonde hair and pale blue eyes. She was dressed conservatively, in red pants and a sweater. Her thoughts were interrupted by two mercenaries entering her office, clinging onto a little girl, no older than five. "Yes? Who is this?"

"This is a Lower Wardananian girl. We brought her as a prisoner of war."

Prisoner of war? But that would mean...

"...YOU IDIOTS! WE CLOSED THE BORDERS FOR A REASON! WHO GAVE YOU THE ORDERS TO ATTACK LOWER WARDINANIAN BEFORE WE WERE READY!?"

"Ummmm...Mr. Smoochnger did." Immediately , Hilary's eyes narrowed.

"That imbecile...I GAVE HIM A POSITION WHERE HE COULDN'T FUCK UP POLITICALLY, AND HE GOES AND ORDERS AN ATTACK BEFORE WE'VE SOLIDIFED COLLECTIVE ANARCHISM HERE IN KALLIST. AND HE HAS YOU CAPTURE THE MERCHANT-GENERAL'S DAUGHTER!?"

She took a long, deep breath. "They're already coming. I want you two to intercept them, and offer a bargain. This little girl for the Prettiest One. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mother!" they saluted, and left.

[Kagetori]

Bird got on the phone to get in touch with the leader of the Saint Jonas Republic to apprise them of everything that'd gone on so far. Thoughts of Sophia weighed heavily on her mind as she prepared exactly what she was going to say to them when they picked up.

[Lower Wardandian]

Sophia, meanwhile, was pacing. One, two, three, four, turn, one, two, three, four, turn. She often did this when she was worried or anxious.

[Horusian Chaos]

Horus took in a deep breath and held it, counting to ten forwards and backwards before he let his nostrils flare and release the breath. He'd been trying to contact the Bird for twenty minutes, and while not offended that no answer had come, he was concerned. Rumors flew left and right about what was happening in the Region, Kallist and the affairs there being his main concern. He'd made no attempts to contact Eris or Sophia just yet, and wasn't sure who his contact would be in Saint Jonas. His advisers weren't doing their jobs particularly well and what little patience he had was wearing thin.

"How remarkable that in times of crisis we find ourselves unable to communicate well. The failings of humanity never cease to amaze me," he muttered to himself as he poured a glass of wine. There wasn't much else he could do but wait, hoping that one of his comrades would contact him soon. And hoping that all of his comrades were still okay. Chaos was lovely in moderation, but this was out of hand. Insurrection over such a seemingly small thing, threats left and right about political upheaval, uncertain which of his friends were okay...it didn't settle well, and his sixth glass of wine certainly wasn't making it settle any faster.

He nodded, set the glass down and began to dial again. Hopefully, Bird, Sophia, or Eris would contact him. Soon.

[Kagetori]

While trying to get a hold of St. Jonas, Bird found herself getting a call from Horus. She answered the phone on the fifth attempt, and she was feeling a bit distressed from the difficulty of contacting the other nations and the reminder of how things had deteriorated between her and Sophia.

"President Bird here. Sorry for keeping you waiting. It's been a hell of a day."

[Horusian Chaos]

Upon getting through, Horus let out a long sigh of relief. "President Bird, I am thrilled to hear you are well, if stressed," he stated quietly. He paused a moment before continuing, making sure that for now, he wasn't saying too much but also not being insensitive.

"I can empathize with the day being hellish, though. Could you tell me what's causing your hell, or should I make arrangements to come visit, assuming your borders are still open..." Horus said, calm, steady, but prodding gently enough to learn what was going on from other perspectives. He would not force the conversation, but his curiosity was drawing his hand back to his wine glass.

[Lower Wardandian]

Sophia decided to join the conversation, hearing who Bird was talking with. "I take it you heard about the coup that deposed Eris?" She asked after connecting to the call. "Well, now there are assassins after her. And my daughter has been kidnapped."

[Kagetori]

"Yes, quite frankly, it's shit all around," Bird said with a frown. "Kagetori is still open, and as you can hear, both Eris and Sophia are here safely. We're trying to weed out the assassins and figure out our next move to get Sophia's daughter back. I for one would like to avoid open war, but, well...recent developments have made that a lot less likely."

[Horusian Chaos]

Horus listened carefully, pushing aside the wine glass again and nodding to himself before mentioning his ideas. He couldn't help but smile at the realization that their political polycule had him as the only acting male. At least until he had confirmation who was working as leader of Saint Jonas.

"Stealing children to prove themselves capable is really, really, a desperate action," he said carefully. "Assassination attempts are not so much desperate as they can be...how shall I word it? Poorly executed. Pardon the pun. And as for going to war? Well, I'm not opposed, but I'm also much more content to try diplomacy if it has a chance."

He stopped as his advisers came in, all four of them late and looking more strung out than usual. He motioned for them to sit before returning attention to his phone.

"So, ladies, what is your current plan to handle those who have less sense and more ambition than the average citizen?"

[Lower Wardandian]

"I'm going to arrest every citizen hailing from Kallist, and execute them hourly, on television, until my daughter is returned."

[Kagetori]

"We've got some assassins in custody. Both Sophia and my Director of the Tenebric Guardsmen, Hart Case, have been working that angle, though, with recent revelations, Sophia has left that to Director Case, less she ends up committing a murder on Kagetori soil. My defense minister is busy trying to deal with a fascist coup on Youma Island, and my science officer is trying to get some satellites in the sky for us right now. I'm afraid I might have to get involved personally with this."

Bird sighed. "Looks like ol' Falcon Eye might need to come out of retirement."

[Lower Wardandian]

Sophia exhaled. "Horus?" She said. "Do you still have contacts in Kallist?"

[Horusian Chaos]

"I've got contacts everywhere, Sophia, dearest. The question is whether or not we desire them to act. There's always a counter with abductions, disappearances, fire, massacre, or they can continue to gather information. Family built legacies aren't always so bad, hmm?" Horus answered. He considered a moment before adding.

"However, there is one other option we can try that doesn't guarantee war, nor does it cost us anything to try. Do we know who the little Establishment values the most? Their leader, perhaps, or their most important social figures?"

[Lower Wardandian]

"From what I've gathered, their leader is the linchpin."

[Kagetori]

"Yes, Ms. Smoochnger, their 'Mother', is really the only person they seem to give a damn about." Bird looks over at Sophia. "And so far, at least three of us have a direct personal vendetta against her. If we can get to her, we may cut this snake off at the head."

[Horusian Chaos]

"I've always loved names like Smoochnger," Horus mused, beckoning the blond adviser forward with a finger.

"We are to make a public broadcast in less than an hour to the entire region, I will have informants make sure the lovely people in Kallist get to see the important pieces," he stated before returning to the phone conversation.

"There's no need for us to fret over the takeover if we can make it look like those who follow this 'Mother' think she does not have her children at heart. Opinions on how best to make her look like the fiend she is?"

His voice was pleasant, as though practicing for a speech, his advisers quickly dispersing to prepare for the broadcast. He simply waited for an answer, though. Horus was a patient man, well-versed in the art of rebellion and stopping them from happening before the innocents became too involved to save.

[Lower Wardandian]

"I don't want her killed." Sophia said. "At least, not yet. That would spark civil war in Kallist, which I'd prefer to avoid until we have Marie back."

[Kagetori]

"Indeed. Getting Marie back comes first." Bird pondered something for a moment. "What was it that the assassin said? Something about collective anarchism? 'Anarchy through unity; unity through collective' or some shit like that. Sounds awful contradictory. And something we can use as a wedge to unseat her power. Stoke some resistance movements in Kallistian borders to awaken those who remain to the inherent imbalance such a belief creates."

[Lower Wardandian]

Sophia turned to Eris. "Do you have any friends left in Kallist?"