by Atlantian Dominions » Tue Jun 30, 2020 7:46 am
by Voxija » Wed Jul 01, 2020 2:40 pm
by Atlantian Dominions » Wed Jul 01, 2020 8:11 pm
Voxija wrote:Eneko Ydaverri, the Duke of Xirroni, rode next to the driver. The Duke always went where the princess went, if she wanted him to be there, and she did. Eneko was glad that his friend was enjoying her time in the Atlantian Dominions, even if he couldn't hear her conversation with Mason. And it looked like the princess was forging connections, those were always good for diplomacy in foreign lands.
Voxija wrote:The view changed from the city to the country. Looking at the Indentured (or Leasing, but Nerea had a feeling they were Indentured) workers in their shabby clothes laboring in the fields was heartbreaking. It still reminded Princess Nerea of the serfdom Voxija used to have in the 18th century.
Voxija wrote:"Walking around the Estate would be wonderful. I think that with riding, everything goes by too quickly. And yes, I will attend the Bowie Stakes Race; Voxija is too small for any large horse racing circuit."
by Voxija » Thu Jul 02, 2020 3:12 pm
Atlantian Dominions wrote:"Mason tells me you're here to tour the Dominions," William said. "You'll find things here are quite different from Grand Harbor. Anything in particular you came to see?"
by Atlantian Dominions » Sat Jul 04, 2020 12:30 pm
Voxija wrote:"I am well aware that things here are much different from Grand Harbor. I came to this country to see the Bowie Stakes Race, since my island is too small for a horse racing circuit, the great mountain ranges that simply don't exist in Voxija, and maybe a boating regatta, among other things."
by Voxija » Sun Jul 05, 2020 2:43 pm
Atlantian Dominions wrote:"Well, the big Magellanic Relay is coming up," William Lockwood said. "Biggest sailing race in the Dominions. They start up at New Penzance, in Laurentia, and then they sail down the coast all the way to Caroline, with some stops along the way. The best place to see it along the way is Duxbury, in Sylvania." Mason nodded. The Duxbury Regatta was another major part of the social season, and one he'd planned on bringing up with Nerea at some point while she was visiting.
"As for mountains, you can't go wrong visiting Lake Coronado," William continued. "Beautiful country there with the north end of the Cascades. And it's safe now that they've chased all the Indijans away. Used to be you'd need a Gunslinger or two to come along with you, just so you could relax for a bit."
"Father," Mason spoke up. "I offered to show Ner...Princess Nerea, around the Estate before dinner."
"Certainly, an excellent idea," Mason's father said. "And Duke Ydaverri, I'm sure we can find something to entertain ourselves while these two have their walk. Tell me, do you shoot in Voxija?"
by Atlantian Dominions » Thu Jul 09, 2020 12:52 pm
Voxija wrote:The Duke decided to split the difference. "Well, I shoot." He began to like William Lockwood better. A bit better. "Let's go."
by Voxija » Thu Jul 09, 2020 2:55 pm
Atlantian Dominions wrote:"Mason, I assume you can find your way out to the gardens with the princess?"
"Yes, father." Mason smiled and offered his right arm, with the elbow bent, for Nerea to place her hand under and curl back over, so that they could promenade in the stately fashion out of the house. They turned away from Eneko and William and down the hall, back towards the entrance. But instead of going out that door, Mason turned and exited out a door on the opposite side, which opened onto a colonnaded porch overlooking a carefully manicured lawn, with a circular path covered by shade trees. The view stretched on, with a fence in the distance marking the borders of the manor grounds. Off to either side were walled gardens, their brick boundaries covered in ivy.
"My grandfather laid all this out," Mason explained as they surveyed the view from the porch. "He had a green thumb, I remember he was always out lecturing the gardeners about one thing or another."
Meanwhile, William Lockwood was showing Eneko Ydaverri to his gun cabinet, which contained a few ornately detailed shotguns and hunting rifles. "The hunting guns haven't been used in years," William admitted. "My father was much more of an outdoorsman than I am." Once the pair were armed, and one of the house staff sent to fetch the groundskeeper so that he could set up the clay launcher, they made their way out the front door and around to one side of the house, where the ground sloped up slightly to provide a natural platform.
"So," William said as they walked towards the spot. "I'm afraid I don't know much about your country, besides that I ship a fair bit of cotton our your way. Are you involved in that business at all?"
by Atlantian Dominions » Fri Jul 10, 2020 1:40 pm
Voxija wrote:Princess Nerea giggled under her breath when Mason held out an arm for her. Like a true gentleman! When they walked onto the porch showing the garden, her breath caught, and the princess's hands flew to her mouth in astonishment.
"It's beautiful! It's like a smaller version of my personal gardens back home." Although Nerea feared she was laying it on too thick, she really was impressed by the beauty of the Lockwood gardens.
Voxija wrote:"Let me explain. When I was small, I gained an interest in gardening. Of course, servants did the dirty work for me, but I chose the flowers and said where they would be planted. I thought the result was a mess of dirty flowerbeds, but my family—even the king himself—said it was a very pretty garden. I am still interested in gardening now, but I am afraid I have so many plans that I am glad I have servants to maintain my gardens."
Voxija wrote:"So," said Nerea. "I must be boring you with my talk about gardening. What would you like to talk to me about?"
Voxija wrote:"No, I'm not involved in the cotton business." Ydaverri smiled a bit. "I don't work in shooting, either. I work in the legal profession." That was it! With Eneko's luck, William Lockwood would turn out to hate lawyers. Eneko Ydaverri, the Duke of Xirroni of course knew that he was very lucky to be born as a duke, but he didn't think very highly of his luck, especially around women. Secretly, Eneko blamed the modern emancipated Voxijan woman, who was tough as nails, but he never admitted it out loud.
by Voxija » Fri Jul 10, 2020 4:11 pm
Atlantian Dominions wrote:"So, you're royalty, you're beautiful, and you have a natural green thumb," Mason said with a smile, hoping his second compliment was not too forward. "Your nation chose quite the impressive ambassador to come and introduce Atlantia to your culture."
"I find it hard to think of how you might bore me," Mason reassured her. "Tell me about these plans of yours." They began to descend the steps of the porch and walk along the path. "What does the future hold for a Princess of Voxija?"
"I was never one for law books," William admitted. "Afraid I just don't have the patience for it. But I suppose if I could do all that contract writing myself, a few lawyers in Hampton would be out of a job." The Lockwood family patriarch laughed at his own joke as they neared the top of the small hill. "Well, I'm sure our little manor here doesn't compare to what you've got back home. Voxija's somewhere in the eastern tropics, right? What do they build castles out of over there?"
When they'd reached the top of the hill, a manservant brought over a case of ammunition for their guns. Another man stood ready by the launching apparatus, which was a spring-loaded throwing arm which would hurl a clay disk in an arc through the air in front of the two shooters. The shotguns were simple enough to load with buckshot, perfect for breaking clays in the air.
"Guest takes the first shot," William said. "Just shout when you're ready and they'll let it fly."
by Atlantian Dominions » Sat Jul 11, 2020 11:09 am
Voxija wrote:Princess Nerea giggled. What a compliment!
Voxija wrote:"Well, first I plan to travel the world. I've already been to Jawetal, and Rusania, and Khemed, and now here as well. But I want to go everywhere. Don't worry, I'm a princess, I have an unlimited budget." Nerea wondered if a princess did have a budget. After all, she had always been surprisingly frugal for a princess.
"Then I will go to college. I don't know what I'll get a degree in, maybe government or Voxijan literature." Nerea had very diverse interests, but she believed overspecialization was a recipe for being stuck in a rut. "I'll marry soon after that, if I meet the right man."
"Then I want to go into politics. I will get elected as a legislator in the Legislative Body. I want to change the world, more than I can just by being a princess alone. I'll stop at being a legislator, and maybe in my late forties I'll retire from politics and manage my estate. That whole life plan of course, doesn't account for the possibility of freak deaths happening in my family and making me queen. I would rather not my family die, even if it means advancement."
Voxija wrote:Princess Nerea turned toward Mason Lockwood. "What about you? What will you do with the family business, and your life? What does fate hold for you?"
Voxija wrote:"Estorans came to Voxija only after their "knights and castles" phase," said the Duke. "The royal family and their nobles live in manors made of brick usually, but wood is common too. We don't call our palaces castles in my country, but roughly 140 years ago there lived an eccentric noble who built lots of castles in Voxija. Those castles are mostly ruins now."
"But enough about castles," said Eneko Ydaverri. "Let's shoot."
The Duke of Xirroni loaded his gun and raised it. Eneko pulled together all his knowledge that he learned as a boy shooting Voxijan geese. "Ready!" he shouted.
by Voxija » Mon Jul 13, 2020 3:07 pm
Atlantian Dominions wrote:"That's quite the plan," he said, a little unsure of what to say. "But I don't doubt for a moment that you can do it all."
"I used to pretend that I was going to run away and join the Navy, or sign onto an I.T. ship," Mason admitted. "A far less comfortable life, but much more exciting."
The servant at the controls of the launcher pulled back on the lever, releasing the spring mechanism which snapped out towards the sky. A clay pigeon, a disk-shaped target made of red clay, sailed through the air in an arc whose highest point would be at about the spot where it was directly in front of the two shooters. The booming crack of the shotgun resounded across the Estate grounds, and the clay disintegrated into red dust and bits of debris. While the Duke was taking his shot, the servant was loading in a new clay and pulling the launcher arm back into the ready position. He grunted in exertion, straining against the spring's earnest desire to remain sprung. Yet he did succeed in getting the apparatus ready to launch another clay.
"So," William Lockwood asked as he shouldered his gun. "How does a Duke end up escorting a Princess around? Don't they usually have princes to do that?" He shouted for the pigeon, which was soon sailing through the air. William fired and broke his clay, then looked to Eneko for his response.
by Atlantian Dominions » Sat Jul 25, 2020 12:07 am
Voxija wrote:"I see. Let's promenade a little. I would love to see more of your estate."
Princess Nerea kept her thoughts completely blank. She hoped she could continue being friends with Mason, and not ruin a perfectly good friendship by fouling it up with love.
Voxija wrote:"I can see why one might be surprised at my presence," replied the Duke. His opinion of Lockwood lowered to Eneko's first opinion. "But I have been acquainted with the Princess since she was born. She's like a little sister to me. In fact, I'm the only man around her age she trusts. At least... until she met your son."
by Voxija » Sat Jul 25, 2020 2:30 pm
Atlantian Dominions wrote:"My grandfather wanted to show gardening at its peak," Mason explained as they passed under a small archway entrance. "So he wanted to make sure it wasn't just planting for planting's sake. He wanted to make sure there was function, not just form." Mason chuckled. "He was very fond of that saying."
Before them were six planting beds, divided by gravel pathways, full of a rich variety of plants. Each bed had fruits or vegetables growing in the center, surrounded by flowering plants and neatly trimmed hedges. A few small trees grew at some of the corners, usually with a bench placed in the cover of the afternoon shade. The most striking feature of the garden, however, were the trees that were growing along the walls. The fruit-bearing trees had been pruned and tended in such a way to make them grow flat against the wall. It was the sort of project that required money and labor, and their presence here was a firm reminder to every guest who entered the garden that the Lockwood family possessed both.
"I'm afraid I don't know much about gardening," Mason said. "I was always better at sums, ledgers, that sort of thing." He smiled at Nerea. "So if you have any questions about the flowers, I can't promise an answer." He chuckled as they walked among the planting beds.
"Anyway, I'm glad she's comfortable around him," William said. "She seems like a lovely girl, and I imagine it was quite a lot to take in when she first got here. Especially coming in at Grand Harbor, for the Cotillion! That's jumping in the deep end for you. But tell me, how have you found our country so far?"
by Atlantian Dominions » Wed Aug 05, 2020 12:43 pm
Voxija wrote:"Your grandfather must have been a rather wise man."
Voxija wrote:Princess Nerea loved how fruits and vegetables grew in the garden. She plucked a berry and ate it. "I was peckish," she joked. Although she knew that the garden must have required lots of maintenance, labor, and money, the princess wasn't intimidated, as she was probably meant to be.
But what was sad, was how the fruit trees were meant to grow flat against the wall. Nerea had always imagined plants to feel pain, and maybe that was why she was a great gardener, besides the fact that it was an appropriate hobby for a princess. Nerea shed a small tear for the hurting trees growing in such an unnatural way.
Voxija wrote:Nera chuckled back. She just admired the beauty of these foreign flowers rather than ask Mason their names. The princess wanted to know more about Mason, about his life, his skills.
"You say you're good at sums and ledgers," said Nerea. "Tell me about that. I won't find it boring."
Voxija wrote:"This country is a beautiful place," said the Duke of Xirroni truthfully. "Although I miss the technology of my country a bit, I find the Atlantian Dominions to have a charm and character I couldn't find in any other country. In fact, I think Voxija could learn something from Atlantia. I haven't put my finger on it yet, though."
Eneko Ydaverri aimed, shot, and missed. He threw the shotgun down on the ground. "Shoot! I grow tired of this endeavor."
by Voxija » Thu Aug 06, 2020 2:59 pm
Atlantian Dominions wrote:"My grandfather designed the house, too," Mason added. "Or, my father likes to say that he stood over the shoulder of the architect who designed it and pestered him with adjustments he wanted made."
"Well..." Mason paused, searching for the words to describe his job. Nerea had said she wouldn't find it boring, but Mason knew that she was just being considerate. It was not an electrifying subject if explained straight.
"My family sponsors International Traders," he said, plucking a piece of fruit from a tree as they passed. "A captain comes to my father and asks him for money to purchase a ship and hire a crew. If he seems like a good man and a capable skipper, then we buy him a ship and advance the money to hire a crew. Then we help them purchase cargo here in the Dominions, and they go out and find a market for it. Then they use the money they make selling that cargo in a foreign port to buy things that they can sell when they return to the Dominions. Every captain that my family sponsors must send us a portion of the profits they earn with each voyage."
"So let's say this piece of fruit is the cargo," Mason held the fruit out with his hand. "And it costs ten dollars to buy it from the Estate. Then the captain might go to Kundu, or Maldonia, or wherever he hears that someone will pay him the most money. And if he's lucky, he arrives in Kundu when there's a shortage of fruit, and he sells it for thirty dollars."
"Now he has to find something to buy and bring back, otherwise he's only made twenty dollars of profit and he won't have much left for himself when he comes back and pays me. So maybe he finds..." Mason looked around, and plucked a beautiful yellow flower from a planting bed. "He uses ten of those twenty dollars to buy this flower, which he knows will sell for forty dollars back here. So by the time he comes back to Hampton and sells the flower, he's made fifty dollars of profit."
"Now he has to pay me a portion of that profit, since I sponsor his ship, and whatever's left gets divided up among the crew." Mason took a bite from the ripe piece of fruit, and handed the flower to Nerea. "So what I have to do, once he's back here, is compare his log and ledgers with our own records, and make sure he's giving us the right amount. I also have to track how much money he's making, and if he's not being profitable for a long time my family might withdraw our sponsorship. I also have to record where he sold and bought things, so we know what the markets look like in foreign ports."
"On paper, it's just a bunch of numbers," Mason concluded. "But those numbers represent the family's prosperity and position. And without the International Traders, the country would be as poor as the Honduraguans."
"Technology is all well and good, when it's introduced properly," William said. "That was the problem before the False Tribulation, they were just chasing fads and never thinking about what their fancy new gadgets were doing to their society. We're smarter now." He said it with pride, even though the Atlantian Dominions were a century behind the world in almost every area of development.
"Tradition," he said with emphasis. "You can't just discard the old ways thoughtlessly, or look down on the past because it's in the past. That's where that charm you're feeling is coming from. Everything feels old in a good way, right?"
When Eneko missed his shot and threw the gun down, William chuckled. Some refined noble! But maybe he was used to less challenging sport.
"I can have the staff set up some fixed targets," William offered. "Or we can retire back to the house and wait for Mason and the princess to finish their walk. Dinner should be ready soon." The sun was beginning to go down, though there was still plenty of light left in the day.
by Atlantian Dominions » Mon Aug 10, 2020 9:24 pm
Voxija wrote:Princess Nerea listened very closely to Mason's explanation, drinking in all the details of Mason's job in the company. It was indeed boring, but not as boring as Nerea thought it would be. In fact, Nerea could get the importance of it, especially the money involved.
"No wonder your family's so rich!" exclaimed Nerea. Immediately, another, worse reason came to her mind as to why the Lockwoods were so rich, but it wasn't diplomatic to bring that up.
Voxija wrote:And then Nerea figured out what to say, never mind the social ramifications.
"I enjoy hearing about economics and money matters. My status as a princess tends to make others want to avoid talking about those things with me, but I am interested." Princess Nerea looked into Mason's eyes. "But you're different, aren't you, Mason? My royal status doesn't matter to you one bit. You just want a good friend, or—" Nerea's throat caught. This was it, there was no turning back, "—something more."
Nerea blushed and turned away. She didn't know what she wanted, especially in this traditional country, but she knew Mason was attracted to her, but he wasn't Voxijan! Oh, this was so confusing!
Voxija wrote:Hmm," hmmed the Duke of Xirroni. In fact, Eneko Ydaverri had pondered the possibility of what Voxija needed being more tradition, but it didn't hit the noble until William threw it right in his face. In hindsight, the regions of Voxija Ydaverri admired best were the North, where old social values still rang true, and Vetxirrovo Province, the part of Voxija that clung to Viñak culture the most. Of course, they were also the poorest provinces of Voxija, but, as in the case of the Atlantian Dominions, economics doesn't matter.
"You're right," said the Duke. "You don't need fancy technology or a workaholic attitude when you have culture, tradition, values, family life. Maybe I should take a leaf from this good country, and spread these values back home."
Voxija wrote:"I would like to see more of it, and sample some more Atlantian cuisine. I've acquired a taste for your country's food, and I would like to see what it's like here." Eneko Ydaverri had developed a taste for Atlantian food in Grand Harbor, but the food was most likely different in the South. Most likely better.
Advertisement
Users browsing this forum: Neo-Western East Korea
Advertisement