Party of the Garden on the River Bank (Meillur Only)

[Colfico]

It had been mere days since the deal with Hyruke had been sealed by Chamberlain Felix Skotnicki, and even less since he had returned home from his adventure in the Genoise Royal Palace, it had not gone as well as it could have, but it had not been a disaster either, he really could not complain that much about how it had gone, especially compared to events in Imarati and Pataunia, it could be much, much worse, although in that case, there likely would have been some fatalities involved, he never would have simply allowed such a thing to happen to him, especially with his gun on hand.

The National Assembly had decided to celebrate the new alliance that had been sealed, and had decided to have him manage and plan the thing, he imagined that it had something to do with the Coronation party that he had managed as well. However, such was life, so he did as he had been told, and had selected another of the old, pre-collapse mansions, this one had been set aside by the National Assembly, along with several others like it elsewhere, as a embassy, in place of a purpose built embassy building, for which, its size and build quality made it well suited. He had done what he could in the short time that he had been given, working tirelessly, and coming up with adhoc solutions to problems that would have taken longer with the more preferred luxurious alternative, however, despite that, he still felt proud of what he and the rest of the team had managed to set up, even if many of the cups used were plastic instead of fine glass.



He had also sent invitations to the Genoise guests, as well as Queen Adrianna, to attend the event. He still was not quite sure what the true list of attendees was, knowing that his Hyrukian counterparts would have a list of their own they would be inviting.

[Great Hyruke]

Alice Montagu escorted the newly appointed Ambassador Liliana Blackthorn through the doors of the new embassy. Liliana Blackthorn, age 64, was an experienced politician who came from the illustrious Blackthorn Family. Her father, Andrew Blackthorn had made his career in foreign politics, rising from ambassador over the years to even being Prime Minister. Liliana intended to do the same. As such, after serving as a conservative for twenty years, she’d switched parties and joined the liberals, winning an appoint as Ambassador to Colfico.

Since the birth of Prince Alexander of Colfico, the King’s attitude towards Great Hyruke’s northern neighbor and one time enemy had soften tremendously and the new alliance was seen as an opportunity to further smooth the edges. It was believed that by increasing the friendships between individuals of Colficoan and Hyrukian importance in their respective countries would go a long way to opening up a pleasant dialogue between the two nations.

In tow of the Ambassador were a number of aides, advisors and recorders meant to better communicate with their northern neighbors. Among them was Alison Trembath, official records keeper for the embassy, the Hon. Barbara Leal, serving as aide to Ambassador Blackthorn and Lady Claudia Dreyfus, volunteer teacher for the daughters of the Hyrukian employees of the embassy.

[Colfico]

Felix watched with a neutral look as the various Hyrukian personnel, and noticed a familiar face among them, in the form of Alice Montague, he really was encountering her more and more lately, something that he made a mental note of, however, the rest were unknown to him.

He gave a simple bow to the group as they entered, and said "Welcome, it is a pleasure to meet all of you, although I am afraid that I do not know most of your names, with an exception, miss Montagu." He nodded his head to her out of respect for a fellow soldier.

[Kingdom of Derita]

Queen Adriana stepped out of the royal town car as gracefully as a gazelle, her brilliant red formal day dress swishing as the skirts reached past her knees, showing off sensible red flats. She thanked the soldier who opened the door for her, smiling as she held her clutch purse and climbed the steps of the new embassy. She wore a red fascinated stop her head, one that was relatively simple. White gloves covered her hands as she entered the embassy, her two eldest siblings not far behind her.

Crown Princess Marie wore a pink straight neckline and modest dress, her dainty feet in four inch heels. Her hands were covered in identifying gloves as those of her sister’s, though her fascination was more elaborate with pink roses attached to it. A tight belt wrapped around her narrow waist. Marie had worked hard, placing herself on a near starvation diet in order to get back her pre-pregnancy weight, despite the pleas of Adriana not to.

She was followed by Prince Alexander Kekoa. As Alexander was a popular name amongst both the Colficoans and the Godey, the royals had taken to calling the Queen’s younger brother Kekoa as to differentiate him from his nephew. This was in fact Kekoa’s first official engagement, part of the Queen’s plan for nativizing the Colficoan Royal Family, as he was the first to be, if only partially raised in Colfico so far over the last two years. Kekoa wore a morning suit with a pink tie and pink rose pinned to his lapel.

[Colfico]

Felix could not help but smile as he watched the Queen enter, and did his best to hide how much he was amazed by her in her red dress, although even he knew that he could only do so much. However, he had never met the Crown Prince, so the face was unfamiliar to him.

He bowed slightly to Queen Adrianna before saying "Your majesty, it is a pleasure and a relief to see you again, I am happy to be back home."

[Kingdom of Derita]

Adriana smiled at Felix, happy to see him again. They had been separated by both his trips across the Southern Sea and her own visit to Derita for the first time in four years, to visit her grandfather and cousin, the newly ascendant Emperor. It had not been as productive as she would have hoped. And her poor cousin was such a miserable ball of sadness she wished she could better comfort him. But she was glad to be back home and to have her chamberlain at her side.

“The feeling is mutual Felix,” said Adriana. “It is good to be home. You remember sister Marie,”

The Crown Princess gave Felix a nod. Marie didn’t really have an opinion on Felix. They had only briefly passed by one another years ago during Adriana’s coronation. Marie had similar features and the same skin tone to Adriana, if not for the height difference (Adriana was several inches taller than her sister) one could have mistaken them for twins. That is until they opened their mouths. Where Adriana could be passionate with her statements, she, as Queen, filtered herself and spoke softly and elegantly. Marie saw no need for such restraint and spoke plainly and honestly. No matter how much others might want her not to.

“And let me introduce my brother, Alexander Kekoa,” continued Adriana, gesturing to her brother. Kekoa smiled and shook Felix’s hand.

“Nice to meet you, call me Kekoa,” said the prince, notably lacking the same accent as his older sister. The Count and Countess of Godey— the Queen’s parents— had employed professionals to craft a new more Colficoan way of speaking, one that still had an air of high class but didn’t sound foreign. Kekoa’s voice had hints of it, but his younger siblings were far superior. He was a few inches taller than Adriana, but still a couple shorter than the chamberlain. He had dark sun kissed skin and short curly black hair cropped short on the sides.

[Colfico]

Felix nodded and said "I couldnt forget"

He smiled and said "A pleasure to meet you as well Kekoa."

He noticed the way that Kekoas accent was different from his siblings, and it amused him to no end that it seemed that they seemed to be trying to use a more Colficoan accent. He wasnt entirely fooled by it though, so it definitely needed work.

[Great Hyruke]

Alice nodded in greeting to Felix. It did seem that she and the chamberlain saw more and more of each other. Though this was the first time it was under more pleasant circumstances. Alice turned towards Queen Adriana. Ambassador Blackthorn curtsied, Claudia and Barbara doing the same behind her.

It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty,” said Ambassador Blackthorn, “along with your family and Chamberlain Skotnicki. Allow me to introduce Colonel Montagu, my aid, Miss Leal and the embassy’s academic instructor Lady Claudia Dreyfus. His Majesty sends his greatest regards, and looks forward to working with Colfico continuously in the future.” The Ambassador smiled and looked to the crown princess, “and he sends his love to his grandson.”

[Colfico]

Feilx nodded and said "It is a pleasure." He then bowed to Claudia, and took her hand in his, and kissed it in a courteous gesture, something that he notably only did for a select few people, and had done to none that he had met in Genes.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Dreyfus, I am always eager to meet those who seek to pass knowledge on to the next generation, teachers really do not get enough credit in this day in age."

[Great Hyruke]

Claudia blushed as she watched Mr. Skotnicki bow and kiss her hand. Men in Great Hyruke were rarely so forward. But his manners were otherwise impeccable. She found herself bashful in the face of his praise.

“Oh, please, it is the least I can do,” said Claudia, begging for him to rise. “I do believe it more important than ever that young girls are taught the importance of education. And please, call me Claudia.”

[Kingdom of Derita]

Adriana smiled at the Ambassador Blackthorn. She still found it odd that she, as she had been repeatedly reminded by her Uncle Ameresyon, didn’t bow to anyone anymore. The Queen watched with some curiosity as Felix kissed Lady Claudia’s hand and her smile went from polite to delighted. She focused back on the ambassador.

“Please, Madam Ambassador, shall we go to the gardens? Gardens in the river valley are so beautiful. The first place I visited when I arrived in Colfico was one such garden, I recommend it for all those upon their first arrival.”

[Colfico]

He rosed, and nodded with a smile as he rose, it was true, the importance of being knowledgeable was greater than ever, something that he could agree with fully. he noticed her blushing, and he had to admit that it was adorable.

"Indeed, Claudia, it is more important than ever, those children are our future, making sure that they are properly educated and knowledgeable is of vital importance. By doing what you do, you are setting up the building blocks with which the future will be built, and that makes what you do as important as any soldier or politician." He then said "Maybe something could be set up so you could use material from the Visari Archives in your teachings, they have several historical pieces and artwork that date back before the collapse, I am sure they would be of great help."

[Great Hyruke]

“That sounds delightful Ma’am,” said Ambassador Blackthorn. She glanced at Claudia and Felix before leaving them behind as she and the others followed after the Queen and the royals.

“My, you are kind, though I wouldn’t let the ambassador or Miss Leal hear you say that. Politicians tend to think they are of great importance.” Claudia said in a stage whisper. “Though your offer is noted. I’m afraid that I’m not very knowledgeable about the Visari, I’ve only heard about them in passing. But pre-collapse pieces and artwork could be great for history class.”

[Colfico]

Felix chuckled before saying "They tend to do that, but I have no problems telling them so, Colfico has dealt with too many Politicians who think too highly of themselves, and it has cost it very dearly in the past, and Id rather remind them verbally than have to fight another war because of it."

He listen to her talk about how she did not know much about the Visari, and gave a smile and then said "That's no surprise, the Order has never been one to try and advertise itself, the Order has survived by flying under the radar, and it would prefer to stay that way for the most part, however, the Order always seeks to help people, and educating children is one of the ways that the Order likes to help out."

[Great Hyruke]

“That sounds lovely,” said Claudia, though she still wasn’t sure what the Visari was, though it sounded not unlike an order of knights, not too unlike those established in Great Hyruke. Most knighted individuals in Great Hyruke often got together to do good for the wider community. Many dames chaired charity and educational boards.

“I find that staying below the radar is the best of places. The spotlight is a spot that is far to blinding. If my students go on to achieve greatest, as I am sure they all will, I shall be happy to cheer them on from the sidelines.”

[Colfico]

Felix nodded with a smile and said “And less people are inclined to interrupt you as well.”

He thought about it and decided to explain the order a little.

“The Order is something you could compare to a group of monks, or a religious sect, however it is less a collection of people worshiping the same god, and more a group of people who follow the same system of core values, essentially, the Visari Order is a group of people who have formed together on a system of values and beliefs they believe are right, and lead to a good life, maybe not necessarily a glorious and glamorous one, but a good one. Particularly, the focus is on living a balanced life, where one lives at ease with their soul, and seeks to help those around them, or just live a peaceful life.”

He pulled the necklace he always wore out into plain view and said “And part of that is sharing and conserving knowledge, be it through storing books and papers, or by teaching children in what ways we can.”

[Great Hyruke]

Claudia nodded as she listened. “I see,” she said, “more focused on tenants and values than on faith or worship. It is an approach and form of religion that while not unheard of in Great Hyruke, is rather rare.”

Great Hyruke had over the last century increasingly held religion at a distance, having toggled between Protestantism and Catholicism they had landed with the former, but the increased secularizing of life in the second half of the 21st century lead many to be so in name if not in practice.

“Keeping track of accounts, historical, scientific or otherwise has been a source of pride for academia back home. The reigns of Queens Jenna II and Caroline up to the present have been remarkably well preserved,” she continued. “What does the necklace represent?” Asked Claudia.

[Colfico]

He nodded and said “It represents balance, where life has both light and dark, that each in turn wax and wain, it represents the belief that in life there is no such thing as ‘perfect”, instead, it’s about learning how to balance the light and dark within yourself, rather than trying to eliminate either of the two.”

He then said “And as a Peacekeper, my mission represents that, it is my goal to help keep the peace, sometimes that means simply keeping order, thwarting criminals, and other times it means going to war and fighting for what I believe, or even simply to make a better future, and yet others, it simply means gathering what knowledge I can to bring back to the Temple on the day that I am to go back and take my place there.”

[Great Hyruke]

Claudia nodded as she listened along to Felix’s explanation of the values of the Visari. It was interesting to say the least. It had a very high notion of a philosophy, but one that had merits.

“I don’t think peacekeepers should fight in wars,” said Claudia softly, “but it is admirable that you are so willing to broaden your experiences in service of accumulating knowledge. What great truths have you thus far discovered?”

[Colfico]

He nodded with a somber look on his face and said "They shouldn't, but there are times when a peacekeeper must be ready to fight, and even sacrifice their own life if it comes to it."

He thought hard on her question, and decided to just give an honest answer.

"Well, the biggest one that I have discovered, or more accurately stumbled upon, is that often, things are not what they seem, and that it is impossible to ever truly know everything."

[Great Hyruke]

Claudia tilted her head with a small shy shrug. She thought of her older half-sister, more like an odd aunt, Alice Montagu. She was a soldier and had the cold dutiful demeanor expected of Hyrukian military women. Alice had never struck her as what one might call a peacekeeper, and she was always seemed ready to fight and potentially sacrifice herself for her duty. Felix seemed similar.

"One would say that if a peacekeeper is fighting, they've failed at their job description. Keeping the peace that is." Claudia blushed, embarrassed as she caught herself. "My apologies. I meant no offense. It's just... of the records we do have, historically people with guns who have called themselves peacekeepers have resulted in... lets say mixed result for Hyrukians. As you said, not everything is often as it seems."

[Colfico]

He noticed her blushing, and looking embarrassed, and couldn't help but find her adorable, and smiled, rather than becoming offended, or angry and instead calmly said "You are right, but in a time of strife and conflict, it becomes the duty of a peacekeeper to help see that conflict come to an end as soon as possible."

He simply smiled at her and said "Unfortunately, there was no one in the Visari Order who could really have stopped the collapse, as much as they would have wanted to, the only thing we could do at that point is do everything we could to bring that war to a swift close. Many peacekeepers ended up having to become soldiers to bring things back to a point where we could return to our original mission of peacekeeping in the first place."

He then realized he was starting to ramble somewhat, so he decided to get back to the topic at hand.

"At the end of the day though, being a Peacekeeper in the order is as much a pilgrimage as it is a position, we go out into the world, seeking to live a good life while gathering as much knowledge as we can, be it documented or just by gaining experience and writing it down ourselves, and being in a military often just happens to be an excellent way to do just that, although that certainly was not my only, or even main, reason for enlisting."

[Great Hyruke]

Claudia's blush faded slightly at Felix's reassurances and in the face of him simply smiling at her. It was quite the relief, she didn't want to be rude, not somehow spark an international incident. "And how long have you been on your pilgrimage through life? After all, I'm told you've traveled just about everywhere around the Southern Sea, from Colfico to Genes, it is quite the journey."

[Colfico]

He thought carefully, it had been a long time indeed, however his response was honest.

“Since I was sixteen, when I left the temple, and shortly afterward I enlisted in the Revolutionary Army during the civil war, and I’ve been in my pilgrimage ever since then. I have been to Aukusa as well, and will probably be visiting Caraintos as well at some point, as well as Lajastine.”

He then said “What about you, do you have any plans here in Colfico outside of teaching?”

[Great Hyruke]

“None in particular,” said Claudia. She couldn’t imagine having left home at just sixteen. Certainly not to then go fight in a war. “My mother tells me that embassies are mostly a form of permanent good will missions when between allies. My mother says it shall do well for me to make social connections. I suspect that when I am not teaching the girls, I shall attend dinner parties and exhibitions of Hyrukian and Colficoan culture if I am lucky.”