A Debut For a Princess (IC)

[Katase]

"We sure do. Oh really? It's such a small world isn't it, even if your neighbors it's always surprising to hear things like that, my countries full of royalty and yet I hardly know any of them. I think we should to, we wouldn't want to miss the princess." Evelyn gestured in the general direction of the floor.

"Indeed it is, isn't it? I guess my sister and I got lucky given Peri is our age. I mean there are plenty of others in our own nation but I guess it's just because our nations have had periods of friendship and friction, we're drawn to her. Plus, she's pretty nice. Oh speak of the devil, that is my sister now. Come, I'll introduce you." Momiji with her new found friend at her side went over to find Yukiko "Yuki."

"Oh there, you are, Momo."

"Sorry, didn't mean to leave you high and dry here, thought I'd take a bit of a look around but I think Peri should be down soon. Anyway, Yuki, this is Evelyn, we just met and been hitting it off. Evenlyn, my sister Yukiko."

"How do you do." Yuki said with a bow. "Thanks for keeping Momiji company."

[Hospe]

Francis Cui
Castle Liek

"Not directly, no. As a former president, I'm not as up to date on personalities as my successor," Francis replied. "But then again, if this 'prince' is the most likely to assume control of Medwedia from its late president...words cannot express how horrifying I can imagine it would be for that country's citizens."
"May I be frank?" Theresa added. "I strongly suspect that this Mikael would be near-universally disliked if how he behaves is typical."

"One could argue that he is already universally disliked." Calista said with a smirk. " There is still hope, he is not the only contender."
"I personally think Vice-President Honedegger is the lesser of all evils." Ayla pitched in. "He seems to have good ideas and is also in fairly good standing with the military."
"I wonder if the situation will escalate to one in which the military actively moves against the monarchies?" Calista wondered. "What do both of you think?" She asked the Cuis.

“Oh merci Prince Magnus.” She thanked him, smiling at the congratulations. She listened as he went on to describe his family “That’s quite the number of children your cousins ‘ave. Especially the number of boys. Very impressive. And your own children too, on their careers. With so many in the family, it’s a wonder you say you’re an only child. Sorry if I offend.” Cecile nervously chuckled, hoping she didn’t step on any toes. Then she thought for a second, what if she had gone on to university? Well she didn’t really have any plans after secondary, and any were derailed by her marriage.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Daniel’s reentrance, returning with food and giving his own contribution before she responded kindly “Oh I wouldn’t worry myself so much about that if I were you Prince Daniel. My mother-in-law bothered me and Cleone about a child the day after our wedding.” The queen reminisced “You’re young right? Your sister as well? You ‘ave plenty of years left for that.”

"Perhaps, I need to put you on the phone with my mother." Daniel said, he turned to Prince Magnus. "You know, I almost majored in business like your son but I thought there would be too much math so I'm doing Computer Science instead. Jokes on me though because I still have to do a shocking amount of math anyway. Have I mentioned I find numbers boring?"
Daniel continued. "Anyway, what is the general public opinion on your monarchies? I'm working on a personal survey?"

[Brettenwald]

Princess Aischa bint-Idris.
While Linelly kissed my hand like a proper gentleman, he explained to me about his sister's enthusiasm about horses - she would get along swimmingly with Siham. Though, Aurelia maybe as well, despite her interests as of late shifting to more horsepowers as of late.
Anyway, I curtsied at his kiss and nodded.
"Indeed, it is a beautiful evening... despite some rude interruptions as of late...", I said, referring to the whole debacle of the Medwedian 'Emperor's' announcement and the rather lackluster reaction to it. "Regardless, it is an enjoyable evening. One, which will be more enjoyable, as it seems."
With that, I turned back to Kairan, who was blushing and not as confident as he had been with Gisella. Was somebody crushing? Maybe... I'd have to test it out in the near future.
His reasoning for asking Gisella for a dance was certainly sound, she needed a highlight to her days these days and Mahmut might not have been the right guy to deliver it.
In any case...
"I would love to have a dance with you later, Prince Kairan.", I said and bowed my head lightly, "Though, if I may ask, what sort of dance would you prefer? Something fast and passionate or a slow, sedate dance?"

do not screw this up do not screw this up do not screw this up, he told himself, returning her little bow.

As a general rule the farther away from the throne you were in the family the more normal, for lack of a better word, you were, hence Kairan's relative rustiness at the formality required in surroundings like this.

"Fast and passionate, I think," he said with a smile. "I'll do my best to keep up, I'd hate to disappoint such a pretty lady."

“Oh merci Prince Magnus.” She thanked him, smiling at the congratulations. She listened as he went on to describe his family “That’s quite the number of children your cousins ‘ave. Especially the number of boys. Very impressive. And your own children too, on their careers. With so many in the family, it’s a wonder you say you’re an only child. Sorry if I offend.” Cecile nervously chuckled, hoping she didn’t step on any toes. Then she thought for a second, what if she had gone on to university? Well she didn’t really have any plans after secondary, and any were derailed by her marriage.

"Perhaps, I need to put you on the phone with my mother." Daniel said, he turned to Prince Magnus. "You know, I almost majored in business like your son but I thought there would be too much math so I'm doing Computer Science instead. Jokes on me though because I still have to do a shocking amount of math anyway. Have I mentioned I find numbers boring?"
Daniel continued. "Anyway, what is the general public opinion on your monarchies? I'm working on a personal survey?"

"No, I'm not offended. My uncle Thomas, number three, got started a lot earlier than my dad did. He and his wife were 29 and 24 when they had their oldest Alerik as opposed to my mom and dad who were 35 and 37 when they had me and I was third time lucky after two miscarriages, so one kid was enough and biology was about to come knocking anyway. As far as volume goes, if that's the right word," Magnus chuckled, "societally we're still a bit lukewarm on birth control so that's probably one of the reasons."

He turned his attention back to Daniel. "I double-majored in political science and electrical engineering and somehow wound up going into management consulting as a career, so I got barraged with calculations for four years and then never needed them. I know it might seem odd, royalty having a nine-to-five job like everyone else, but the further down the line of succession you are the more normal you are. It's just something to get me out of the house, honestly, I usually split my paychecks around between a few charities. I work for Teissedre Group's internal organization division, which is a branch that exists purely because the company's so damn big the management needs management and outside firms just give up trying to quantify & analyze everything. It's kind of funny, actually-" he paused for a moment "-due to a teenage marriage, a divorce, and some weird chronology, my wife is technically the current CEO's step-aunt so I'm working for the family whether I'm in the office or doing stuff like this. Speaking of the current CEO, I think you'd like her. In a personal sense, not romantically since she bats for the home team if you know what I mean, but Valentine is... quite the character."

"Public opinion... generally favorable, I think. Thomas hit the brakes pretty hard in '89 and hasn't really stopped tearing down my uncle's legacy since then, and mercifully the Overton window's shifted enough in the ensuing 32 years that anyone who's unhappy about that gets told to go do something obscene at an absolute minimum. 1974 to 1989 is not, generally speaking, something we care to talk about back home. Monarcho-fascism isn't exactly popular these days."

[Eritei]

Gisella had taken a little time to use the washroom, then returned to the floor. "Boy I think more people have arrived." She actually lost sight of where the young men from Brettenwald were or the Prince and Princess from Kyrenaia were at now. Oh well, very likely she'd bump into them sooner or later. She passed by any number of people in conversation as she wandered the floor, honestly no real destination or place in mind, maybe she could just insert herself somewhere and take up space. Staff members she passed would wish her a "Good evening" and Gisella of course would give a nod and smile back as well.

"My little crowded." Gisella pushed her way around, well gently of course finding a little reprieve where there wasn't as many people. Seeing someone next to her, "Oh, good evening!"

Tieria felt the place getting more crowded and crowded as time went on. She left the sweets a little while ago but now she could barely find her own sister. She went searching but couldn't find her for the life of her. She decided to take a small break in a less crowded part of the room, only standing there for a few minutes before someone next to her started talking to her.

"Good evening to you too! Starting to get pretty crowded in here isn't it?" She said to the person. " The names Tieria, mind if I ask you yours?"

"Indeed it is, isn't it? I guess my sister and I got lucky given Peri is our age. I mean there are plenty of others in our own nation but I guess it's just because our nations have had periods of friendship and friction, we're drawn to her. Plus, she's pretty nice. Oh speak of the devil, that is my sister now. Come, I'll introduce you." Momiji with her new found friend at her side went over to find Yukiko "Yuki."

"Oh there, you are, Momo."

"Sorry, didn't mean to leave you high and dry here, thought I'd take a bit of a look around but I think Peri should be down soon. Anyway, Yuki, this is Evelyn, we just met and been hitting it off. Evenlyn, my sister Yukiko."

"How do you do." Yuki said with a bow. "Thanks for keeping Momiji company."

Evelyn was brought back into the main room, now full of people compared to when she first came, seeing more people here made her somewhat excited.

"Good to meet you as well, Yukiko. It hasn't been a problem, your sister's been excellent company. I hope you've been keeping busy as well over here," she said to Momiji's sister, Yukiko.

[Kyrenaia]

do not screw this up do not screw this up do not screw this up, he told himself, returning her little bow.

As a general rule the farther away from the throne you were in the family the more normal, for lack of a better word, you were, hence Kairan's relative rustiness at the formality required in surroundings like this.

"Fast and passionate, I think," he said with a smile. "I'll do my best to keep up, I'd hate to disappoint such a pretty lady."
[...]

Princess Aischa bint-Idris.
Pretty Lady, huh? Certainly not the most elegant compliment I had ever received, but maybe one of the most honest. It did make me both smile and blush slightly.
"Then fast and passionate it is.", I said with a bit of satisfaction, "Just as I like it. I am sure, that you'll be able to keep up - after all, such a handsome young man as yourself should be quite the experienced dancer, no?"
He was a handsome young man, especially in that uniform of his, and he did make quite a good impression on me, too. A decent guy.
The question was pure teasing, though.

[Lux Pulchrae]

"Perhaps, I need to put you on the phone with my mother." Daniel said, he turned to Prince Magnus. "You know, I almost majored in business like your son but I thought there would be too much math so I'm doing Computer Science instead. Jokes on me though because I still have to do a shocking amount of math anyway. Have I mentioned I find numbers boring?"
Daniel continued. "Anyway, what is the general public opinion on your monarchies? I'm working on a personal survey?"

"No, I'm not offended. My uncle Thomas, number three, got started a lot earlier than my dad did. He and his wife were 29 and 24 when they had their oldest Alerik as opposed to my mom and dad who were 35 and 37 when they had me and I was third time lucky after two miscarriages, so one kid was enough and biology was about to come knocking anyway. As far as volume goes, if that's the right word," Magnus chuckled, "societally we're still a bit lukewarm on birth control so that's probably one of the reasons."

He turned his attention back to Daniel. "I double-majored in political science and electrical engineering and somehow wound up going into management consulting as a career, so I got barraged with calculations for four years and then never needed them. I know it might seem odd, royalty having a nine-to-five job like everyone else, but the further down the line of succession you are the more normal you are. It's just something to get me out of the house, honestly, I usually split my paychecks around between a few charities. I work for Teissedre Group's internal organization division, which is a branch that exists purely because the company's so damn big the management needs management and outside firms just give up trying to quantify & analyze everything. It's kind of funny, actually-" he paused for a moment "-due to a teenage marriage, a divorce, and some weird chronology, my wife is technically the current CEO's step-aunt so I'm working for the family whether I'm in the office or doing stuff like this. Speaking of the current CEO, I think you'd like her. In a personal sense, not romantically since she bats for the home team if you know what I mean, but Valentine is... quite the character."

"Public opinion... generally favorable, I think. Thomas hit the brakes pretty hard in '89 and hasn't really stopped tearing down my uncle's legacy since then, and mercifully the Overton window's shifted enough in the ensuing 32 years that anyone who's unhappy about that gets told to go do something obscene at an absolute minimum. 1974 to 1989 is not, generally speaking, something we care to talk about back home. Monarcho-fascism isn't a good look these days."

Cecile sighed in relief, glad she hadn't caused any offense, listening politely to the prince's response. Though hearing of the miscarriages saddened her a bit. Listening to Magnus' answer to Daniel made her give another internal sigh in relief that she didn't bring up Lux Pulchrae's quasi-fascist elements. It wasn't anything near on the level of its...other adherents, but even in name alone it could cause issues with others. "Public opinion on the monarchy?" she repeated Daniel's question, though it was mostly for herself "Well, my region of the country tends to be pretty critical but not about monarchy, mostly the monarch himself. Or at least they used to. Until moi." Cecile playfully smiled, gesturing to herself "Most other regions seem rather indifferent or very supportive, as long as they're not suffering or dying there isn't much of a..'ow they say? A bone to pick, with the monarchy. Hmmm." she put her hand to her chin in thought "Then again, the lèse-majesté laws might also help mitigate any negative public opinions. They actually used to be quite 'igh in the sixties, if I remember my 'istory well."

[Hospe]

He turned his attention back to Daniel. "I double-majored in political science and electrical engineering and somehow wound up going into management consulting as a career, so I got barraged with calculations for four years and then never needed them. I know it might seem odd, royalty having a nine-to-five job like everyone else, but the further down the line of succession you are the more normal you are. It's just something to get me out of the house, honestly, I usually split my paychecks around between a few charities. I work for Teissedre Group's internal organization division, which is a branch that exists purely because the company's so damn big the management needs management and outside firms just give up trying to quantify & analyze everything. It's kind of funny, actually-" he paused for a moment "-due to a teenage marriage, a divorce, and some weird chronology, my wife is technically the current CEO's step-aunt so I'm working for the family whether I'm in the office or doing stuff like this. Speaking of the current CEO, I think you'd like her. In a personal sense, not romantically since she bats for the home team if you know what I mean, but Valentine is... quite the character."

"Public opinion... generally favorable, I think. Thomas hit the brakes pretty hard in '89 and hasn't really stopped tearing down my uncle's legacy since then, and mercifully the Overton window's shifted enough in the ensuing 32 years that anyone who's unhappy about that gets told to go do something obscene at an absolute minimum. 1974 to 1989 is not, generally speaking, something we care to talk about back home. Monarcho-fascism isn't exactly popular these days."

"I agree with the succession thing. I have a cousin that works at a supermarket. Her family don't really need the money of course, they just think it's character building. I like to think I have a fairly normal life because between three older siblings and other members of the nobility, there's just not that much for me to do but I think it's great that you donate your paychecks to charity and perhaps I could meet this Valentine whenever I visit."
After listening to Prince Magnus' reply to his survey question, he replied with a smile. "Well, you're right about the monarcho-fascism part, I'm glad the public opinion is good.

Cecile sighed in relief, glad she hadn't caused any offense, listening politely to the prince's response. Though hearing of the miscarriages saddened her a bit. Listening to Magnus' answer to Daniel made her give another internal sigh in relief that she didn't bring up Lux Pulchrae's quasi-fascist elements. It wasn't anything near on the level of its...other adherents, but even in name alone it could cause issues with others. "Public opinion on the monarchy?" she repeated Daniel's question, though it was mostly for herself "Well, my region of the country tends to be pretty critical but not about monarchy, mostly the monarch himself. Or at least they used to. Until moi." Cecile playfully smiled, gesturing to herself "Most other regions seem rather indifferent or very supportive, as long as they're not suffering or dying there isn't much of a..'ow they say? A bone to pick, with the monarchy. Hmmm." she put her hand to her chin in thought "Then again, the lèse-majesté laws might also help mitigate any negative public opinions. They actually used to be quite 'igh in the sixties, if I remember my 'istory well."

Daniel turned to Cecile. "It sounds pretty stable for an absolute monarchy, it's very easy to get that type of government wrong or so my mother says, but it's interesting that you seem to have improved your husband's standing with the public. May I enquire further on that situation?"

[New Visayan Islands]

Francis Cui
Castle Liek

"Makes you wonder how succession plays out in Medwedia," Francis answered. "It's a republic with a recently-deceased president and a vice president who is still in play. Were Medwedia's institutions more stable, it would be safe to presume that Vice President Honedegger would have taken over as President; that this 'prince' presumes he is in the best position to take over speaks volumes on the state of that country's democratic institutions."
"What my husband is trying to say is that things won't be looking well for Medwedia regardless," Theresa added. "I suspect Honedegger would be in a particularly precarious position at this point."

[Lux Pulchrae]

Daniel turned to Cecile. "It sounds pretty stable for an absolute monarchy, it's very easy to get that type of government wrong or so my mother says, but it's interesting that you seem to have improved your husband's standing with the public. May I enquire further on that situation?"

“You have quite the mother. And sure, I can tell you more about the situation. Although I think your use of the word ‘public’ might be too general? If I may.” She replied “I think he is decently liked among the general population. It’s just my area, the French Quarter, have mixed opinions. But, to answer your question: my people are French descent, proudly so. We technically are, ‘of France but not from France’ as they say. Anyways, long ‘istory between us and the Italians, which caused many to dislike the monarchy. Or as least be indifferent to it. We just didn’t care.” Cecile continued to explain “But certain circumstances required national unity so a proposal, or a gamble, was made by the French houses. If Cleone married one of them, tensions would possibly perhaps calm down and my people would see that we can work together instead. I was asked by my grandfather to take part in this. The rest is obvious. And so far, the gamble paid off, tensions have calmed down. Mostly.”

[AHSCA]

Tieria felt the place getting more crowded and crowded as time went on. She left the sweets a little while ago but now she could barely find her own sister. She went searching but couldn't find her for the life of her. She decided to take a small break in a less crowded part of the room, only standing there for a few minutes before someone next to her started talking to her.

"Good evening to you too! Starting to get pretty crowded in here isn't it?" She said to the person. " The names Tieria, mind if I ask you yours?"

"Ah Gisella is my name, pleased to meet you, Tieria. First time to Abetton? It is for me." Gisella leaned against the wall a bit just to relax her feet a bit, gotta save some for dancing later after all.

[Eritei]

"Ah Gisella is my name, pleased to meet you, Tieria. First time to Abetton? It is for me." Gisella leaned against the wall a bit just to relax her feet a bit, gotta save some for dancing later after all.

"Gisella, nice to meet you too. Yeah, it's my first time here too, in fact it's my first time alone with just my sisters. It feels somewhat weird to be honest, not having someone that you can look up to at a time like this, even if my sisters are here," Tieria said, following her new acquaintance and leaning against the wall.

[Mervay]

Princess Siham ibn-Idris.
Mahmut and I stood a bit to the side and waited for a nice opening, chatting all the while, until it presented itself: The silver-haired, blue-eyed, nine-year-older-then-Mahmut Corette V of Mervay, one of the siblings of Queen Callista and, more importantly, of Prince Pandereos.
By coincidence, Mahmut had met him in the Large Hammam of the Palace of the Azure Hall when the Mervayans had organized the mediation between us and the UIS.
She was accompanied by Lady Rosalina Anna Maria Da Mervay, blonde, blue eyed and a mature woman.
In any case, Mahmut, never one to aim low, smiled at me and I nodded.
We began to move towards them and when we were close enough, my brother cleared his throat to gain their attention and, with a lot of self-confidence, which he had, he smiled especially at Princess Corette.
"Good evening, Your Royal Highness, Ma'am.", he greeted them and bowed his head, deeply and respectfully. I did it similarly. "If I may say so, Princess Corette, you look absolutely radiant tonight. I am Prince Mahmut ibn-Idris, this is my sister Siham."
"Good evening, Your Royal Highness. Ma'am.", I said and bowed my head deeply.
"I had the pleasure of meeting your brother, Prince Pandereos, a few months ago.", Mahmut continued, "If I may ask, how is he?"

Corette V of Mervay and Rosalina Anna Maria Da Mervay
As the mother and daughter pair walked, the two of them were on checking their surrundings, witnessing the present guests and the beauty of the place; it had that familiar feeling found at home, maybe it was the ambient of the event, but it couldn't be denied.
Of course, their thoughts were cut short by someone clearly wanting their attention; turning to see who was the person that called them; they were surprised by who it was.
Prince Mahmut ibn-Idris and Princess Siham bint-Idris of Sarepta.
An entire surprise to see the Kyrenaians here, but then again, it shouldn't be. As such, she smiled kindly at the two of them as she heard the prince speak.

"Why thank you, Your Highness." She curtsied in return with an smile. "I've must say you look charming as well." She warmly giggled before hearing his sister's introduction. Which she replied in kind with an warm smile and a curtsy.

"The pleasure is mine as well, Princess Siham." She then heard the Prince asking for her brother, it appeared he knew her from his travel to Utica during the height of the scandal. "He's fine thankfully, working as a medic and also aiding our sister in whatever she needs." She kept smiling.

"He told me he knew quite an interesting amount of people during his stay there, I think he kept in touch with at least one or two of them..." She added thoughtfully, she wasn't that much in Asteria, but when they saw each other he did told her something like that.

"For you being her twin sister, you certainly forgot that small detail." Her mother giggled teasingly while her daughter rolled her eyes playfully, before looking at the Prince and Princess. "I believe, I haven't presented myself, Lady Rosalina Anna Maria Da Mervay; former Queen of Mervay and Duchess of Bartolomeo at your service." She also smiled, with a curtsy as well.

[AHSCA]

"Gisella, nice to meet you too. Yeah, it's my first time here too, in fact it's my first time alone with just my sisters. It feels somewhat weird to be honest, not having someone that you can look up to at a time like this, even if my sisters are here," Tieria said, following her new acquaintance and leaning against the wall.

"Oh you're here with your sisters? That's so nice. I asked my sister to come with me but she just wasn't in the mood for a party right now. It's a long story." One she'd spare her of. "I feel a bit awkward by myself to be honest but I guess I'm starting to feel a bit more comfortable here."

[Katase]

Evelyn was brought back into the main room, now full of people compared to when she first came, seeing more people here made her somewhat excited.

"Good to meet you as well, Yukiko. It hasn't been a problem, your sister's been excellent company. I hope you've been keeping busy as well over here," she said to Momiji's sister, Yukiko.

"I'm glad." Yukiko said with a smile, "I've been having a nice time, don't worry about me. Just admiring the art and making conversation here and there. I imagine Peri-chan will be down in a minute or two more?"

"That's what I'm thinking, you know something?"

"Only ran into her little sister a moment ago, said she's about ready."

"Wonderful! Bout time she's kept us waiting long enough."

"Momo, this is her big night, I'm sure she wants things to go perfectly before she comes and says hello to everyone. With so many guests here, I don't blame her. Honestly, I'm nervous enough for her."

"Just relax, Yu." Turning back again to Evelyn, "She's always like this I tell ya but I guess that's just that."

[Ezhara]

Prelude

Lyosha swore that, if they were still allowed in, that he would do something to Kaz's falcon. The Byarovan was not a violent man, or at least he was rarely violent, but Kaz had always pushed that limit. Out of all the Idols, nobody came close to that boy's vanity, the way that he tried to rig everything to come back to him. That included his falcon that he had taken along to say goodbye to, which decided that "just before Taylor the pilot got there" would be a perfect time to run off for some city pigeon in Woroshire, which, according to Kaz, was because it was distraught over the two of them having to part. So, Lyosha, Kaz, and Ibrahim had to chase it, and that took around ten minutes while Eiko and Kasem sat at the airport, waiting since Eiko still wasn't in the best shape after his injury.
That's what he said, but Lyosha figured it was just because he despised Kaz more than anything, and it was better not to cause that sort of scorn to erupt. Who knew what Kagutsuchi could do if pressed into having to help his sworn enemy.

Then there was Taylor himself. He was a middle-aged man with a greying beard and large build, and this time around, something kept him — some issue with the air control traffic left him flying around and around for a few more minutes, and when he finally landed, he needed to refuel, only for something to go wrong with the gas that required an emergency maintenance for a few more minutes. Just a few more after a few "a few minutes more," but with this sort of noble news, time was precious. Lyosha could only hope that some other delay would keep their hosts busy, but that would be a rude wish.
Thankfully, no errors occurred when boarding the plane, on flight, landing, or the carriage; the seats were arranged so that Kaz and Ibrahim were as far as possible from Eiko and Kasem, so no sort of fight could possibly occur on either vehicle. Lyosha, meanwhile, sat at his seat, silently contemplating what sort of angry deity would distribute luck poorly now and only now. Best fit was some Chölatipakmin one, the sorts that were worshipped in the casinos.

Castle Liek

Lyosha was first in among the Ezharans, his right hand absently stroking his left and his platinum-blonde hair gleaming in the light; he would nod at the butler's introduction. His sharp eyes, honed over years of performances and deals and trainings, examined the room. There was nobody familiar — but, more importantly, they had still been allowed in, and Eiko and Kaz—
"It's so beautiful," the actor said, walking in with his matcha box, matcha kimono, matcha hair. "So many symbols from an old time." Now, he turned to the younger Idol. "If only someone who knew a thing or two about them were here."
Kaz, dressed in a tuxedo, chuckled at that. "Please, Eiko, I haven't even said anything yet. No need to aggravate me."
"Oh, I didn't mean you," Eiko said, taking one step towards Kaz. "Please, Kaz, not everything is about you."
The other stepped, too. "I can't imagine how terrible that would be, not knowing me."
"There's plenty who don—"

"Ibrahim, Kasem," Lyosha said. "Can you please stop these two before they fight?" Only Ibrahim obeyed and dragged his friend away; Kasem's brain was too occupied, what with the beauty of the architecture and his fumbling attempts to follow Eiko, for Lyosha's requests. "We already got here," Lyosha continued, "and both of you are already arguing. Skywright, man..." They had assumed that "these two boys are incompatible" was more of a suggestion or a minor conflict, rather than the bitter rancor that both held for each other, and that somehow, this fourth time would make it all work out.
There was no way that it would, not without some sort of miracle.
For now, though, none of them saw any of the other guests depositing their gifts — or even if there were even supposed to be gifts, but Lyosha suggested it to his charges as a little remark for the princess, although his idea of a gift ended up being a set of silvery-white pens. Eiko, of course, brought a lacquer-wood box, sealed and filled with matcha, while Kasem held onto a bouquet of purple asters and daffodils: wisdom and royalty, and new beginnings. Ibrahim brought a headset, still boxed. He didn't know if she'd want it, or if royalty even wore it, but it was the best guess he could hazard for another teenager.

And Kaz brought one of his albums.
"A first chance to introduce myself," he said, noticing Eiko eying it.
The actor turned his head halfway away. "You say it like it can be considered a gift."
"It's a gift to most people, yes." Kaz twirled in front of him. "Sucks that you aren't one of them, Eiko, but who am I to judge someone like you?" He smiled as he stepped closer, his album box flitting between his fingers. "You do it enough. It's so tiring hearing you try to act like some sort of moral beacon, don't you know? Judging me. Judging the other Suzuraigan Talents." Kaz stopped moving. "Your b—"
Lyosha shook his head. "Ibrahim, Kasem." This time, both boys dragged them away by a few more feet.
That'd do until some other conversation could be found.

[Hospe]

Francis Cui
Castle Liek

"Makes you wonder how succession plays out in Medwedia," Francis answered. "It's a republic with a recently-deceased president and a vice president who is still in play. Were Medwedia's institutions more stable, it would be safe to presume that Vice President Honedegger would have taken over as President; that this 'prince' presumes he is in the best position to take over speaks volumes on the state of that country's democratic institutions."
"What my husband is trying to say is that things won't be looking well for Medwedia regardless," Theresa added. "I suspect Honedegger would be in a particularly precarious position at this point."

"I really hope the military are as loyal to him as it seems." Calista said. " If not, things are going to be worse than I expect. Moving on, how are things in the Islands? I'm afraid I've fallen behind on current affairs."

“You have quite the mother. And sure, I can tell you more about the situation. Although I think your use of the word ‘public’ might be too general? If I may.” She replied “I think he is decently liked among the general population. It’s just my area, the French Quarter, have mixed opinions. But, to answer your question: my people are French descent, proudly so. We technically are, ‘of France but not from France’ as they say. Anyways, long ‘istory between us and the Italians, which caused many to dislike the monarchy. Or as least be indifferent to it. We just didn’t care.” Cecile continued to explain “But certain circumstances required national unity so a proposal, or a gamble, was made by the French houses. If Cleone married one of them, tensions would possibly perhaps calm down and my people would see that we can work together instead. I was asked by my grandfather to take part in this. The rest is obvious. And so far, the gamble paid off, tensions have calmed down. Mostly.”

"That's good. Multiple ethnic groups always lead to that sort of situation, in fact my brother's marriage served to reduce a lot of tension between Azurans and the rest of Hospe."

[Eritei]

"Oh you're here with your sisters? That's so nice. I asked my sister to come with me but she just wasn't in the mood for a party right now. It's a long story." One she'd spare her of. "I feel a bit awkward by myself to be honest but I guess I'm starting to feel a bit more comfortable here."

"I understand what you mean, sometimes I like to just sit back and relax in my own space, but stuff like this has always come naturally to me, I quite like parties like this. Though, I must say, I prefer the ones that my Uncle and Aunt throw, whenever I can stop being royalty it's pretty fun."

"I'm glad." Yukiko said with a smile, "I've been having a nice time, don't worry about me. Just admiring the art and making conversation here and there. I imagine Peri-chan will be down in a minute or two more?"

"That's what I'm thinking, you know something?"

"Only ran into her little sister a moment ago, said she's about ready."

"Wonderful! Bout time she's kept us waiting long enough."

"Momo, this is her big night, I'm sure she wants things to go perfectly before she comes and says hello to everyone. With so many guests here, I don't blame her. Honestly, I'm nervous enough for her."

"Just relax, Yu." Turning back again to Evelyn, "She's always like this I tell ya but I guess that's just that."

"Oh I don't blame her, my mother always frets about things being perfect when it comes to royal gatherings and such. She's really invested in keeping her image, even if no one notices. I don't mind waiting to be perfectly honest, more time to talk and meet new people when you get down to it," Evelyn said looking at the two sisters.

[New Visayan Islands]

Francis Cui
Castle Liek

"The National Vaccination Drive Against COVID-19 is in full swing," Francis began. "We're all fully vaccinated, and travel restrictions are a lot more merciful now that the Visayan Bubble is stable." In fact, the campaign was so effective that at projected rates, the Confederation was expected to reach 50 million vaccinated by September, and 70 million before the year ended.
"The week before, we attended the funeral of one of our own: Kristoff Gonzalez was the second President of the New Visayan Islands. He died just over two weeks ago--the 10th--and the funeral was on the 16th, the day after Confederation Day. There were only a quarter of a million people who attended the funeral, mostly due to limits imposed on public gatherings; I suspect that had Kristoff died prior to the pandemic, there would have been enough people attending the funeral to rival the numbers present for the funeral of Juan Diego Cortez, the first President." When Cortez, one of the Founding Fathers of the Confederation, died in 2011, three million people attended his funeral.

[Hospe]

Francis Cui
Castle Liek

"The National Vaccination Drive Against COVID-19 is in full swing," Francis began. "We're all fully vaccinated, and travel restrictions are a lot more merciful now that the Visayan Bubble is stable." In fact, the campaign was so effective that at projected rates, the Confederation was expected to reach 50 million vaccinated by September, and 70 million before the year ended.
"The week before, we attended the funeral of one of our own: Kristoff Gonzalez was the second President of the New Visayan Islands. He died just over two weeks ago--the 10th--and the funeral was on the 16th, the day after Confederation Day. There were only a quarter of a million people who attended the funeral, mostly due to limits imposed on public gatherings; I suspect that had Kristoff died prior to the pandemic, there would have been enough people attending the funeral to rival the numbers present for the funeral of Juan Diego Cortez, the first President." When Cortez, one of the Founding Fathers of the Confederation, died in 2011, three million people attended his funeral.

"Ah, yes. We managed to put the country in complete lockdown before we developed too many cases, but there was total havoc trying to track down everyone who had been overseas. It was the same case for our colony, the Border Islands but the coronvirus seriously hurt our protectorate, Nerrise. The federal government are obscenely dumb over there. They hoarded palliatives and provisions we sent for the people and by the time we realised, protests had broken out. Which as you can guess is a really terrible idea during a pandemic. On the bright side, I can confirm that over thirty five percent of Nerriseans have been fully vaccinated. "
Calista stopped to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Sorry. This topic always gets me worked up. My condolences on your country's recent loss, Mr. Gonzalez was a great man."

[Hospe]

Ayla excused herself from the Cuis' company and made a beeline for the buffet table. She was getting bored so a few glasses of anything couldn't hurt.
She found another young woman hanging around the table, she recognised her instantly. "Hello, you're the First Daughter of Deblar aren't you? Sorry, I've forgotten your name. I'm Ayla Toro, from Hospe. I'm not royalty though, my great grandfather founded a really important company so he was inducted into the nobility and the title is hereditary so here I am, rubbing shoulders with world leaders and what not."
Her phone vibrated with a notification, a grin lit up her face. "Apparently, Kaz is here. I hope he performs."
Finally pausing to look at her fellow conversationalist. "Oh, I've been rambling again, haven't I? But seriously, you know who Kaz is, right?"

[Abetton]

The lights dimmed a little bathing the once golden room in a shade of blue and at the top of the stairs stood a tall woman for a moment with a couple of maids at her side, first caste in shadow but illuminated with the adjusting of the ballroom lights. "Good evening, guests." She spoke, "As Abetton's Queen it's my mother and matronly duty and honor to introduce my beloved and beautiful Peri. Nobles of Abetton and guests from abroad, I'm honored to Debut Abetton's Crowned Princess." Queen Latimer standing aside allowing Peri to come into full view, decked out in her ballroom dress, her hair partially tied and partially flowing long. No decorative jewelry on her head or really much on her dress save for a nice broach at the chest line. Daintily and gingerly, Peri began her decent down the stairs stopping just before the base. "Ahem." she politely cleared her throat, a signal that her two siblings would join her at her side. Now she was ready to speak.

"Welcome my friends, old, new and soon to be acquaintances. Thank you all so much for those of you who could make it to my special night. Whether you came from far or here in our lovely Kingdom, I'm delighted to have you. For those of you who are unfamiliar with my family, the woman you saw who introduced me, is my beloved Mother. Here at my side, my younger sister, Chrysanthe." Chrysanthe grabbed the hem of her dress and gave a curtsy. "And of course my older brother, Linely." Linely placed his right hand over his heart and gave a small bow to greet. "For my party, I wished to have them here to enjoy it with me. I'm excited to meet you all tonight."

With that the darkened room lit up again to a bright warm glow. Peri smiled and now made her final decent to the floor itself. Whoever was closest would certainly get to her first but she had to greet everyone once so not to much time could be taken, more socializing would come as the night moved along but for now this was the time for Peri to aquatint herself. Flanked immediately were a couple of her closest friends Briony and Gwenell "Goodness so formal of you." Gwen chuckled

"But stylish, guess every Princess has to make her entrance in some way." Briony concurred

"Well nothing can beat your grandmother, right? Now you gonna let us tag along and introduce us to some cute guys?"

"Hehe well I suppose not. Of course, come on."

[Kyrenaia]

Corette V of Mervay and Rosalina Anna Maria Da Mervay
As the mother and daughter pair walked, the two of them were on checking their surrundings, witnessing the present guests and the beauty of the place; it had that familiar feeling found at home, maybe it was the ambient of the event, but it couldn't be denied.
Of course, their thoughts were cut short by someone clearly wanting their attention; turning to see who was the person that called them; they were surprised by who it was.
Prince Mahmut ibn-Idris and Princess Siham bint-Idris of Sarepta.
An entire surprise to see the Kyrenaians here, but then again, it shouldn't be. As such, she smiled kindly at the two of them as she heard the prince speak.

"Why thank you, Your Highness." She curtsied in return with an smile. "I've must say you look charming as well." She warmly giggled before hearing his sister's introduction. Which she replied in kind with an warm smile and a curtsy.

"The pleasure is mine as well, Princess Siham." She then heard the Prince asking for her brother, it appeared he knew her from his travel to Utica during the height of the scandal. "He's fine thankfully, working as a medic and also aiding our sister in whatever she needs." She kept smiling.

"He told me he knew quite an interesting amount of people during his stay there, I think he kept in touch with at least one or two of them..." She added thoughtfully, she wasn't that much in Asteria, but when they saw each other he did told her something like that.

"For you being her twin sister, you certainly forgot that small detail." Her mother giggled teasingly while her daughter rolled her eyes playfully, before looking at the Prince and Princess. "I believe, I haven't presented myself, Lady Rosalina Anna Maria Da Mervay; former Queen of Mervay and Duchess of Bartolomeo at your service." She also smiled, with a curtsy as well.

Princess Siham bint-Idris.
Mahmut bowed his head lightly at the compliment - he knew, that he looked charming, but it was always nice to hear it from somebody, who you weren't related to. And she was related to Pandereos, his sister, telling us, that he was working as a medic and advisor to his sister the Queen.
I knew, who he kept in touch with, too.
And Corette was also her twin, as her mother and former Queen pointed out. I knew, that her husband had abdicated and while Kyrenaian Culture viewed it very crossly, I didn't give a damn. As long as you did good work while in office, I thought it was better to quit while ahead - I knew, that Mahmut thought similarly, having seen the effects of Emperor Pirmin's abdication in Auwalt, but he had retired due to failing health and him feeing unable to fulfill his duties properly.
I thought, that something similar was at work here.
I was also not surprised, when Mahmut returned the curtsy with a bow and a smile, me following suit. He spoke: "It is a great honour to meet you, Milady. I do hope, that I can have a dance with you later, as I hope to have a dance or two with you, Princess Corette."
I looked at both with a smile, that conveyed an unspoken He's never one to aim low.
Then...

The lights dimmed a little bathing the once golden room in a shade of blue and at the top of the stairs stood a tall woman for a moment with a couple of maids at her side, first caste in shadow but illuminated with the adjusting of the ballroom lights. "Good evening, guests." She spoke, "As Abetton's Queen it's my mother and matronly duty and honor to introduce my beloved and beautiful Peri. Nobles of Abetton and guests from abroad, I'm honored to Debut Abetton's Crowned Princess." Queen Latimer standing aside allowing Peri to come into full view, decked out in her ballroom dress, her hair partially tied and partially flowing long. No decorative jewelry on her head or really much on her dress save for a nice broach at the chest line. Daintily and gingerly, Peri began her decent down the stairs stopping just before the base. "Ahem." she politely cleared her throat, a signal that her two siblings would join her at her side. Now she was ready to speak.

"Welcome my friends, old, new and soon to be acquaintances. Thank you all so much for those of you who could make it to my special night. Whether you came from far or here in our lovely Kingdom, I'm delighted to have you. For those of you who are unfamiliar with my family, the woman you saw who introduced me, is my beloved Mother. Here at my side, my younger sister, Chrysanthe." Chrysanthe grabbed the hem of her dress and gave a curtsy. "And of course my older brother, Linely." Linely placed his right hand over his heart and gave a small bow to greet. "For my party, I wished to have them here to enjoy it with me. I'm excited to meet you all tonight."

With that the darkened room lit up again to a bright warm glow. Peri smiled and now made her final decent to the floor itself. Whoever was closest would certainly get to her first but she had to greet everyone once so not to much time could be taken, more socializing would come as the night moved along but for now this was the time for Peri to aquatint herself. Flanked immediately were a couple of her closest friends Briony and Gwenell "Goodness so formal of you." Gwen chuckled

"But stylish, guess every Princess has to make her entrance in some way." Briony concurred

"Well nothing can beat your grandmother, right? Now you gonna let us tag along and introduce us to some cute guys?"

"Hehe well I suppose not. Of course, come on."

Viola Dreach of the Tribe of Dundalk.
My conversation with Eoin, Blaze and Cui hit a bit of a lull just as Peri made her grand appearance - she was cute, no question asked, but merely a girl, not a woman.
She would grow.
Still, Eoin had his eyes on her, took her in as she descended and had his eyes on her as she spoke. Was somebody about to develop a crush? We were far from the closest to them, but I promised myself, that we would take the time to have the two greet each other and maybe have Eoin dance with her... or with her friends, whichever happened.
And Crown Prince Linely looked like a delicious nibble as well, so there would be a chance for everyone. He was certainly too young to be a full meal yet and I was far from a cradle-robber, but he could certainly grow into a magnificent man. Something nice to toy with for a bit he certainly was.
And I had my ways of making sure, that I would stay in his dreams for a long time.
The lights went on and I looked to Blaze and Cui.
"Would you excuse us?", I asked and led Eoin away. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "The two of us are going to dance a little.", I told him in Selkie, "A little bit of tactics. Let others get drowned in the sea of people now rushing to meet and greet her, make your lasting impression later. I saw how impressed you were by her."
He blushed and stuttered something.
"Don't deny it. We'll work on it, when the time is right.", I said and then added: "Though, isn't there something missing?"
Eoin cleared his throat and smiled slightly. "Miss, would you do me the honour of a dance?", he asked.
I smiled and pecked him on the cheek. "There we go!"

[Polish Prussian Commonwealth]

Ida Findehoof.
Berengar was surprised and stunned by my Polish and especially by how good it apparently was. I smiled and got in a short "For a few months now. It was a supposed to be a surprise for you... it worked, apparently."
And then, it was right back to politics.
And the recent rise in Selkie-Interventionism. The War of Italian Independence, the going-ons in Lybia, a few other things...
"Yeah, the Free Lands are discovering interventionism for themselves.", I said and shook my head. "Not to everyone's delight there as well, from what Kiah and my Father tell me. But while there be some protests against that, the majority of the Selkie are happy with SEA - especially after the debacle that were the first COVID-Waves and the SEA-Aid, that came during these times. Many Selkie also hope for economic benefits, once the trade flows freely again."

Berengar nodded. "...can't keep everyone happy, I guess. Still, Italy was an undisputed victory...noone's complaining about that, at least. Noone important, anyway. They're starting to send troops home now, I think..."

He fell silent. Perhaps it was a bad idea to bring this topic up. Unlike Italy, there would be no 'victory parade' for the troops returning home from Afghanistan -- one to welcome them home, perhaps, but there would be no triumph, no throwing of the Taliban's banners beneath the treads of tanks like they did for the Fascists or the British. Afghanistan would not be the first campaign Prussia-Poland had lost, but it stung all the same.

Berengar shook his head, as if trying to throw off those thoughts, as Ida shifted the topic to economics benefits. "I can imagine, aye. I think we ordered a ship from the Free Lands? A logistical one, not the patrol boats." he said. "Something for our submarines, I think."

Another pause, and he tried to change the subject again. "You know, I think your Polish is good enough that you could work in the Commonwealth." he remarked.

---

The lights dimmed a little bathing the once golden room in a shade of blue and at the top of the stairs stood a tall woman for a moment with a couple of maids at her side, first caste in shadow but illuminated with the adjusting of the ballroom lights. "Good evening, guests." She spoke, "As Abetton's Queen it's my mother and matronly duty and honor to introduce my beloved and beautiful Peri. Nobles of Abetton and guests from abroad, I'm honored to Debut Abetton's Crowned Princess." Queen Latimer standing aside allowing Peri to come into full view, decked out in her ballroom dress, her hair partially tied and partially flowing long. No decorative jewelry on her head or really much on her dress save for a nice broach at the chest line. Daintily and gingerly, Peri began her decent down the stairs stopping just before the base. "Ahem." she politely cleared her throat, a signal that her two siblings would join her at her side. Now she was ready to speak.

"Welcome my friends, old, new and soon to be acquaintances. Thank you all so much for those of you who could make it to my special night. Whether you came from far or here in our lovely Kingdom, I'm delighted to have you. For those of you who are unfamiliar with my family, the woman you saw who introduced me, is my beloved Mother. Here at my side, my younger sister, Chrysanthe." Chrysanthe grabbed the hem of her dress and gave a curtsy. "And of course my older brother, Linely." Linely placed his right hand over his heart and gave a small bow to greet. "For my party, I wished to have them here to enjoy it with me. I'm excited to meet you all tonight."

With that the darkened room lit up again to a bright warm glow. Peri smiled and now made her final decent to the floor itself. Whoever was closest would certainly get to her first but she had to greet everyone once so not to much time could be taken, more socializing would come as the night moved along but for now this was the time for Peri to aquatint herself. Flanked immediately were a couple of her closest friends Briony and Gwenell "Goodness so formal of you." Gwen chuckled

"But stylish, guess every Princess has to make her entrance in some way." Briony concurred

"Well nothing can beat your grandmother, right? Now you gonna let us tag along and introduce us to some cute guys?"

"Hehe well I suppose not. Of course, come on."

Mariana - Sophia

The conversation had hit a lull when the Princess Peri had made her entrance.
Sophia clapped politely at her introduction, while Mariana seemed bored. As the lights returned to normal, Sophia turned back to Margot and the princes. "Quite the entry." she noted, to all present.
Mariana shrugged. "Eh. I've been to better. Commonwealth-nobles know how to make an entrance. Still, she seems like a half-decent sort."
Sophia paused, before replying. "I suppose. I will grant that there is a sort of rustic vigour and forthrightness with regards to them. But there is something to be said for a more...formal entry as well, no?"

Mariana grunted. "Blow it out of your ass."

"You first."

---

Viola Dreach of the Tribe of Dundalk.
My conversation with Eoin, Blaze and Cui hit a bit of a lull just as Peri made her grand appearance - she was cute, no question asked, but merely a girl, not a woman.
She would grow.
Still, Eoin had his eyes on her, took her in as she descended and had his eyes on her as she spoke. Was somebody about to develop a crush? We were far from the closest to them, but I promised myself, that we would take the time to have the two greet each other and maybe have Eoin dance with her... or with her friends, whichever happened.
And Crown Prince Linely looked like a delicious nibble as well, so there would be a chance for everyone. He was certainly too young to be a full meal yet and I was far from a cradle-robber, but he could certainly grow into a magnificent man. Something nice to toy with for a bit he certainly was.
And I had my ways of making sure, that I would stay in his dreams for a long time.
The lights went on and I looked to Blaze and Cui.
"Would you excuse us?", I asked and led Eoin away. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "The two of us are going to dance a little.", I told him in Selkie, "A little bit of tactics. Let others get drowned in the sea of people now rushing to meet and greet her, make your lasting impression later. I saw how impressed you were by her."
He blushed and stuttered something.
"Don't deny it. We'll work on it, when the time is right.", I said and then added: "Though, isn't there something missing?"
Eoin cleared his throat and smiled slightly. "Miss, would you do me the honour of a dance?", he asked.
I smiled and pecked him on the cheek. "There we go!"

Blazes
Blaze nodded as Viola dragged Eoin off, with a slight roll of her eyes. She turned back to Victor Cui with an amused smile. "Sorry about her." she said. "She's...actually, no. She's usually like this. But she means well and she'll be back. Regardless..."

She bowed deeply, her chainmail-coat clinking slightly as she did so. "Lady Okręt Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, 'Maria' Błyskawica, Court Bard of the Commonwealth. At your service, Mister...Cui, yes?"

[Brettenwald]

Princess Aischa bint-Idris.
Pretty Lady, huh? Certainly not the most elegant compliment I had ever received, but maybe one of the most honest. It did make me both smile and blush slightly.
"Then fast and passionate it is.", I said with a bit of satisfaction, "Just as I like it. I am sure, that you'll be able to keep up - after all, such a handsome young man as yourself should be quite the experienced dancer, no?"
He was a handsome young man, especially in that uniform of his, and he did make quite a good impression on me, too. A decent guy.
The question was pure teasing, though.

"I've had a few dances," Kairan allowed with blush and a small laugh.

...such a handsome young man as yourself...

"The family doesn't do schooling fully in-house anymore but we're all still heavily socially educated, I suppose that's the right way to put it, and I didn't expect dance lessons to be as fun as they turned out to be. Oddly enough they've been great for my rugby playing as well, it's done a lot for my coordination and agility even though I did get some ribbing from my teammates for mentioning it since apparently it's girly or whatever. I'd have more fun if all my dance partners were as charming and beautiful as you, but one can't have everything in life," he added with a smile.

The lights dimmed a little bathing the once golden room in a shade of blue and at the top of the stairs stood a tall woman for a moment with a couple of maids at her side, first caste in shadow but illuminated with the adjusting of the ballroom lights. "Good evening, guests." She spoke, "As Abetton's Queen it's my mother and matronly duty and honor to introduce my beloved and beautiful Peri. Nobles of Abetton and guests from abroad, I'm honored to Debut Abetton's Crowned Princess." Queen Latimer standing aside allowing Peri to come into full view, decked out in her ballroom dress, her hair partially tied and partially flowing long. No decorative jewelry on her head or really much on her dress save for a nice broach at the chest line. Daintily and gingerly, Peri began her decent down the stairs stopping just before the base. "Ahem." she politely cleared her throat, a signal that her two siblings would join her at her side. Now she was ready to speak.

"Welcome my friends, old, new and soon to be acquaintances. Thank you all so much for those of you who could make it to my special night. Whether you came from far or here in our lovely Kingdom, I'm delighted to have you. For those of you who are unfamiliar with my family, the woman you saw who introduced me, is my beloved Mother. Here at my side, my younger sister, Chrysanthe." Chrysanthe grabbed the hem of her dress and gave a curtsy. "And of course my older brother, Linely." Linely placed his right hand over his heart and gave a small bow to greet. "For my party, I wished to have them here to enjoy it with me. I'm excited to meet you all tonight."

With that the darkened room lit up again to a bright warm glow. Peri smiled and now made her final decent to the floor itself. Whoever was closest would certainly get to her first but she had to greet everyone once so not to much time could be taken, more socializing would come as the night moved along but for now this was the time for Peri to aquatint herself. Flanked immediately were a couple of her closest friends Briony and Gwenell "Goodness so formal of you." Gwen chuckled

"But stylish, guess every Princess has to make her entrance in some way." Briony concurred

"Well nothing can beat your grandmother, right? Now you gonna let us tag along and introduce us to some cute guys?"

"Hehe well I suppose not. Of course, come on."

Maris reappeared with a glass of something age-appropriately nonalcoholic and tugged at the sleeve of Kairan's uniform jacket. "C'mon Romeo, get with the program," he stage-whispered in Brettain to get his brother's attention as the lights went down, getting another annoyed look from his big brother before he himself was distracted by the female of the species when Princess Peri made her appearance. "You're blushing already, for the record," the older boy said offhand, making his brother choke on his drink.
"It's that obvious?"
"Oh, yeah. She is cute. Too young for me, but you've got a fighting chance."
"Huh. You really think so? Thanks."

Cecile sighed in relief, glad she hadn't caused any offense, listening politely to the prince's response. Though hearing of the miscarriages saddened her a bit. Listening to Magnus' answer to Daniel made her give another internal sigh in relief that she didn't bring up Lux Pulchrae's quasi-fascist elements. It wasn't anything near on the level of its...other adherents, but even in name alone it could cause issues with others. "Public opinion on the monarchy?" she repeated Daniel's question, though it was mostly for herself "Well, my region of the country tends to be pretty critical but not about monarchy, mostly the monarch himself. Or at least they used to. Until moi." Cecile playfully smiled, gesturing to herself "Most other regions seem rather indifferent or very supportive, as long as they're not suffering or dying there isn't much of a..'ow they say? A bone to pick, with the monarchy. Hmmm." she put her hand to her chin in thought "Then again, the lèse-majesté laws might also help mitigate any negative public opinions. They actually used to be quite 'igh in the sixties, if I remember my 'istory well."

"Oh, gods, lèse-majesté laws. Don't get me started," Magnus snorted into his champagne. "65 bloody years of that, I tell you, and what does my cousin do? Just has the Imperial Court quit prosecuting them. No outright repeal, nothing. Didn't even tell the press they didn't have to cower like a child facing an abusive dad's belt any more. I get the political motives behind it, but considering what they came to represent I thought he'd have the sense to make it a goodwill gesture and get rid of them lock, stock and barrel. Told him as much back in '89, too."

"I agree with the succession thing. I have a cousin that works at a supermarket. Her family don't really need the money of course, they just think it's character building. I like to think I have a fairly normal life because between three older siblings and other members of the nobility, there's just not that much for me to do but I think it's great that you donate your paychecks to charity and perhaps I could meet this Valentine whenever I visit."
After listening to Prince Magnus' reply to his survey question, he replied with a smile. "Well, you're right about the monarcho-fascism part, I'm glad the public opinion is good."

"Yeah, I think it really does build character. You can have all the money and power and everything, but unless you know what it's like out there for the people who are going to rely on you for leadership you're going to fall flat on your face when it's time to step up. It's the reason why we've got two years of civil service required (barring legitimate medical exemptions) for everyone either before or after university. I ended up doing ten years in the Air Force flying search and rescue because of it. You should be able to meet her if you're in the capital, Aurinel, from April through September when all the fossils in the aristocracy drag the old social season away once again from a well-deserved grave. She's a real social butterfly, though you'd think quote-unquote 'lifestyle choices' and perceived new-money attitudes would get her side-eyed. Very old and wealthy family, you know, so she gets a pass."

[Lux Pulchrae]

"That's good. Multiple ethnic groups always lead to that sort of situation, in fact my brother's marriage served to reduce a lot of tension between Azurans and the rest of Hospe."

The lights dimmed a little bathing the once golden room in a shade of blue and at the top of the stairs stood a tall woman for a moment with a couple of maids at her side, first caste in shadow but illuminated with the adjusting of the ballroom lights. "Good evening, guests." She spoke, "As Abetton's Queen it's my mother and matronly duty and honor to introduce my beloved and beautiful Peri. Nobles of Abetton and guests from abroad, I'm honored to Debut Abetton's Crowned Princess." Queen Latimer standing aside allowing Peri to come into full view, decked out in her ballroom dress, her hair partially tied and partially flowing long. No decorative jewelry on her head or really much on her dress save for a nice broach at the chest line. Daintily and gingerly, Peri began her decent down the stairs stopping just before the base. "Ahem." she politely cleared her throat, a signal that her two siblings would join her at her side. Now she was ready to speak.

"Welcome my friends, old, new and soon to be acquaintances. Thank you all so much for those of you who could make it to my special night. Whether you came from far or here in our lovely Kingdom, I'm delighted to have you. For those of you who are unfamiliar with my family, the woman you saw who introduced me, is my beloved Mother. Here at my side, my younger sister, Chrysanthe." Chrysanthe grabbed the hem of her dress and gave a curtsy. "And of course my older brother, Linely." Linely placed his right hand over his heart and gave a small bow to greet. "For my party, I wished to have them here to enjoy it with me. I'm excited to meet you all tonight."

With that the darkened room lit up again to a bright warm glow. Peri smiled and now made her final decent to the floor itself. Whoever was closest would certainly get to her first but she had to greet everyone once so not to much time could be taken, more socializing would come as the night moved along but for now this was the time for Peri to aquatint herself. Flanked immediately were a couple of her closest friends Briony and Gwenell "Goodness so formal of you." Gwen chuckled

"But stylish, guess every Princess has to make her entrance in some way." Briony concurred

"Well nothing can beat your grandmother, right? Now you gonna let us tag along and introduce us to some cute guys?"

"Hehe well I suppose not. Of course, come on."

"That's good to hear. I wouldn't want to imagine what the strife would be like back home if it got any worse."

She would've said more but the lights were dimmed down and someone was finally about to make their entrance. Queen Latimer was first, introducing tonight's star, Princess Peri. She was pretty. Cecile had a little smile as she saw the princess descend the stairs. It reminded her of her own debut, and her sister's in turn. Oh crap, she's gotta go get Margot and greet the Abetton royals soon.

"Oh, gods, lèse-majesté laws. Don't get me started," Magnus snorted into his champagne. "65 bloody years of that, I tell you, and what does my cousin do? Just has the Imperial Court quit prosecuting them. No outright repeal, nothing. Didn't even tell the press they didn't have to cower like a child facing an abusive dad's belt any more. I get the political motives behind it, but considering what they came to represent I thought he'd have the sense to make it a goodwill gesture and get rid of them lock, stock and barrel. Told him as much back in '89, too."

Cecile scratched behind her ear upon hearing Magnus' reply "Oh wouldn't go that far with the analogies. I don't know 'ow long we've had it, I will assume we have always had it. And I would agree against them, Prince Magnus, but I would say that I am a little biased now that I am a potential target. Although I remember in my region, offences against these laws were...severely under-reported. Even then they usually end up as fines." she explained "I remember there were extreme cases a few years ago, some magazine had a very unflattering illustration of the royal couple at the time, Cleone's parents. The image reached the capital and the company was, uh, shut down." she took a quick look at Margot and decided it was best to greet the hostess "Pardon me Prince Magnus, Prince Daniel. We can return to our conversations later if you'd like. I have to go get my sister." she bowed her head at the princes and headed to Margot.

Mariana - Sophia

The conversation had hit a lull when the Princess Peri had made her entrance.
Sophia clapped politely at her introduction, while Mariana seemed bored. As the lights returned to normal, Sophia turned back to Margot and the princes. "Quite the entry." she noted, to all present.
Mariana shrugged. "Eh. I've been to better. Commonwealth-nobles know how to make an entrance. Still, she seems like a half-decent sort."
Sophia paused, before replying. "I suppose. I will grant that there is a sort of rustic vigour and forthrightness with regards to them. But there is something to be said for a more...formal entry as well, no?"

Mariana grunted. "Blow it out of your ass."

"You first."

"So crass." Margot thought to herself, but it didn't surprise her. "My own debut wasn't so grande if I'm honest. Well, it was, but not anything flashy." she reminisced "But she does look rather cute no?"

At that moment, Margot's shoulder was tapped, or grabbed rather. Quickly turning her head, she saw that it was Cecile. "Come on Margot, we're going to go greet the princess. You'll be back in a second." Cecile smiled at the young girls present "Bonsoir. Pleasure to meet you all, I will only barrow Margot for a second." Ushering Margot, the two properly made their way to Peri.

Approaching the princess and her posse, Cecile introduced themselves "Your Highness, a pleasure to finally greet you. If I may introduce myself: Cecile Marie de Elise-Bourbon, Queen of Lux Pulchrae."

"And her sister, Margot Louise." she gave a curtsy "A pleasure to meet you Princess."