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Autumn Ball
Topic Started: Sep 20 2013, 06:07 PM (712 Views)
Demoness
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To My Fellow Leaders,

In the interests of continuing peace and close relations, you are cordially invited to a three day ball commencing Saturday, 21 September at 2100 at the Sacred Palace. Families are welcome, but be advised that some official rituals observed during the Autumnal Equinox may not be suitable for small children.

Please RSVP as soon as possible so appropriate accommodations may be prepared for your arrival.

Sincerely,
Lawspeaker Beowulf Corbmac
The Dragon's Realm of Demoness
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Cetatsenia
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Gavril laughed at Jia Li's question, though not insultingly. "Oh, I simply have yet to find ze right woman," he said, "I'd prefer it if my marriage was a happy one, and not arranged for political convenience."

And that was the way he was going to have it. Nobody would force him into marriage, nobody could force him into marriage. Not now that he was Voivode. But now he wasn't sure where exactly to take the conversation; he'd comment on how well her marriage seemed, but was aware that even if the two hated each other, they'd likely not show it in public, being royalty and all. So he figured that was not the safest course of action. After a rather short moment of deliberation, he figured it best to compliment Jia Li's nation.

"Zough I must say, your nation is rather beautiful; at least from what I've seen. Ze way the city and wilderness meld togezer is impressive," he said, "And I have to admit, I was a bit surprised when I first saw the chitaels on the streets."

Edited by Cetatsenia, Oct 14 2013, 01:00 PM.
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Demoness
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Intermaris
Oct 14 2013, 09:56 AM
Mosciski nodded at Jia Li's explanation behind Elisa's answer.

- 'People can be very... inflexible about their beliefs.'

He answered simply, anything more might steer towards topics such as religion, political infighting and terrorism, none of which where suited for the time or place. Turning his attention back to Elisa he continued.

- 'All the more reason to praise a desire to see reconciliation. It is a worthy goal.'

And one that was most likely to not succeed and even if would leave you hated by all sides. This again was something better left unsaid so instead he turned back to Jia Li.

- 'Your children are sharp, there is promise in them. I look forward to seeing what grows of them when they are tempered a bit by experience.'

As was every other politician, financial group and intelligence agency in the world, but that was another thing that could be left unsaid.
Jia Li smiled and nodded again, but this time there was a glint of something else in her eye: silent agreement. While her sister Hikari was passionate about Morante and had made a poor choice, she was at least tempered by the understanding that her way was not the only way. Elisa, on the other hand, fully believed in her future as the Goddess on Earth and thought it meant she would always be correct. She was almost the exact opposite of her mother, who had disbelieved her own religion much of her life and consequently was much more flexible about it. When she had time to think of her children, she worried about Elisa the most. Kieran, as gentle as he might be, was also very intelligent; Adiwyn was young but not precocious like her older sister and seemed to be quite charismatic, even at her young age; Elisa, however, was naively unbending in the beliefs she had already adopted.

"I have much faith in them," she replied. "Goddesses willing, they will not have to step into positions of power before they are ready like I did and I hope to prepare them." She segued onto another topic. "Much like you must have been prepared for your role as President. Forgive me, but I do not know much about your career. What did you do before you were elected?"
Ceta
 
Gavril laughed at Jia Li's question, though not insultingly. "Oh, I simply have yet to find ze right woman," he said, "I'd prefer it if my marriage was a happy one, and not arranged for political convenience."

And that was the way he was going to have it. Nobody would force him into marriage, nobody could force him into marriage. Not now that he was Voivode. But now he wasn't sure where exactly to take the conversation; he'd comment on how well her marriage seemed, but was aware that even if the two hated each other, they'd likely not show it in public, being royalty and all. So he figured that was not the safest course of action. After a rather short moment of deliberation, he figured it best to compliment Jia Li's nation.

"Zough I must say, your nation is rather beautiful; at least from what I've seen. Ze way the city and wilderness meld togezer is impressive," he said, "And I have to admit, I was a bit surprised when I first saw the chitaels on the streets."

Jia Li smiled. "It is different from other nations. Maybe even a bit wilder," she replied. "We have a different view of nature, as I'm sure you're aware, so our development progressed quite differently." Indeed, it was quite different: Morante dictated that the land of Demoness was the physical body of their primary goddess and deserved the utmost respect. It retarded their economical and industrial development for several years, as pains were taken to minimize the impact on nature, but when the nation began colonizing it became evident that the sanctity of nature only applied to their land. Demoness raped the lands of its colonies as it accelerated its development and through trial and error discovered ways to coexist with nature; these methods were imported back to Demoness. Many of former Demonessian colonies were still ravaged by pollution, desertification, and other regrettable side effects of industrialization.

"We decided to integrate nature rather than subjugate it. The philosophy has served us well, but it has had its drawbacks. We couldn't use coal or oil as a wide source of fuel, so we were forced to develop hydroelectric and steam power. That's still evident in our public transportation system. Electric cars are fairly affordable internationally, but we still prefer our trains and walking."
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Cetatsenia
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"While yes, it is different, I don't zink it's necessarily wilder," Gavril said, "After all, my nation itself has large tracts of untouched forest in ze mountains and highlands. And I can say from personal experience, zat zey are quite wild zemselves." His last sentence was meant as a bit of a joke, and so he chuckled a bit as he said it.

But what he'd said still rang true. While the Basin portion of Cetatsenia was most assuredly industrialized and urbanized, the periphery of the nation was the exact opposite. There were few large cities, and large tracts of the land were forests nearly undisturbed by human hands. Gavril had always enjoyed going out into the forests to hunt, he found the isolation peaceful and pleasantly removed from the activity of Albraustana-zid.
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Demoness
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"Does that mean you hunt?" Jia Li asked curiously. Her outdoor activity had been severely limited as a child since her mother could barely travel outdoors, even though Jia Li's health was never that poor. Consequently, she had developed indoor hobbies, but she still found some of the traditional pastimes interesting and occasionally, she'd take her chitaels to the countryside to watch them hunt, even if it was never on any large-scale.
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Intermaris
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And there it was, the brief moment of understanding that, in his understanding, were confirmed by Jia Li's words regarding the potential problems in the future. Never the less it was with some relief that Mosciski greeted the change in topic.

- 'Ah, now there is a topic to bore one witless if there ever was one.'

He said with a a look of amusement.

- 'Where to start though? Perhaps at the point that I had not initially wanted to be a politician? Like many I wanted to wear a uniform and attempted to enlist immediately after receving confirmation of passing my matura. Fortunately/unfortunately after jumping through the initial hoops I was informed that the Army had no room for me. Somewhat dejected but not wishing to give up on a career in uniform I volunteered for the Police, it seems they liked me as it was almost record time between me handing in my papers and putting on the training uniform.'
- ‘Many Intermarine politicians will have a brief carreer in a uniformed service in their CV, it looks good if one is willing to put the needs of others before oneself but I was happy with the uniformed life. Not going into details familial circumstances forced a change of career and I found myself acting as a glorified secretary inbetween a short licencjat course. A few years of that and I’m considered senior enough to start in parlamentary elections.’
- ‘Already not bad but when I won not only the internal party elections for a Wojewod candidate but also the elections to be Wojewod well, that sort of position makes you noticed and after two terms I breifly held the position of party whip while presenting myself as the best candidate for presidency. It’s seems that I was succesful which is why I am in a position to bore an Empress.’

He finished with a shrug. That would be a good point to end but remembering the past had brought up a curiosity as well as the chance to gauge some reactions.

- ‘Random titbit but the Intermarine “Wojewod” and Cetatsenia’s “Voivode” have the same root, that of a military governor, a little reminder of our common history. Now of course the title is essentialy a regional governor in Intermaris but technically speaking I do have a dozen people of the same rank as our Gavril IV working for my person.’

Mosciski finsihed with a shrug and a smile meant to show he was joking but kept an eye open for any reactions.
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Cetatsenia
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Gavril nodded in response to Jia Li's question. "I find it be razer relaxing and calm, and is good for when I need to just get away from Albraustana-zid and my duties for a few days," he explained, "Hunting is actually Cetatsenia's national sport and is quite popular with Cetatsens of all classes, though its popularity has been falling wiz ze nobility for some time now."

Then he looked over to the Ambassador who had so far remained politely silent while he'd conversed with Jia Li. "Even Ambassador Funar here used to be quite ze accomplished hunter," he said with a smile. This elicited a dry chuckle from the old man, "I was, but that was a long time ago. Back when my hair was as black as the Voivode's."

Then Gavril turned his attention back to the Empress, "So I am curious, what kind of hobbies do you have?"
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Demoness
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Intermaris
Oct 18 2013, 06:34 AM
And there it was, the brief moment of understanding that, in his understanding, were confirmed by Jia Li's words regarding the potential problems in the future. Never the less it was with some relief that Mosciski greeted the change in topic.

- 'Ah, now there is a topic to bore one witless if there ever was one.'

He said with a a look of amusement.

-'Where to start though? Perhaps at the point that I had not initially wanted to be a politician? Like many I wanted to wear a uniform and attempted to enlist immediately after receving confirmation of passing my matura. Fortunately/unfortunately after jumping through the initial hoops I was informed that the Army had no room for me. Somewhat dejected but not wishing to give up on a career in uniform I volunteered for the Police, it seems they liked me as it was almost record time between me handing in my papers and putting on the training uniform.'
-‘Many Intermarine politicians will have a brief carreer in a uniformed service in their CV, it looks good if one is willing to put the needs of others before oneself but I was happy with the uniformed life. Not going into details familial circumstances forced a change of career and I found myself acting as a glorified secretary inbetween a short licencjat course. A few years of that and I’m considered senior enough to start in parlamentary elections.’
-‘Already not bad but when I won not only the internal party elections for a Wojewod candidate but also the elections to be Wojewod well, that sort of position makes you noticed and after two terms I breifly held the position of party whip while presenting myself as the best candidate for presidency. It’s seems that I was succesful which is why I am in a position to bore an Empress.’

He finished with a shrug. That would be a good point to end but remembering the past had brought up a curiosity as well as the chance to gauge some reactions.

-‘Random titbit but the Intermarine “Wojewod” and Cetatsenia’s “Voivode” have the same root, that of a military governor, a little reminder of our common history. Now of course the title is essentialy a regional governor in Intermaris but technically speaking I do have a dozen people of the same rank as our Gavril IV working for my person.’

Mosciski finsihed with a shrug and a smile meant to show he was joking but kept an eye open for any reactions.
Jia Li followed Mosciski's narrative with some difficulty as it was alien to her experiences. Her Lawspeaker, who stood beside her, had climbed up the ranks through service in the Ministry of State, but he had been appointed to the nation's equivalent of prime minister by her father. Most of those she had encountered had chosen their career paths: ministry work and public positions were traditionally the only way for commoners to gain power.

She smiled, but Xel was the one to respond. He knew much more about uniforms, military service, and duty, and he also believed he understood diplomacy much better than his wife. Where she acted naive and kind, he caught what she missed. In the kindling days of the Civil War, Jia Li had actually pushed for dissolution of the monarchy and while she quickly learned it had been a mistake, she still respected the ideals of democracy and incorporated it where she could. Xel, on the other hand, understood that a change to their system of government or religion could be devastating to the country. More importantly, it could result in her death this time.

Xel nodded. "Words' meanings change with the times," he stated. "We have a word - 'eda' - that used to mean nothing more than 'steward', but now it is the title we give to our governors." He seemed to watch Mosciski for a moment, attempting to judge what reaction the president had attempted to elicit, and then continued. "But in a roundabout way it shows the importance of the military in our past, much like your titles reflect on yours." He paused. "As a former, ano, uniform, I have to ask what made you give it up."
Ceta
 
Gavril nodded in response to Jia Li's question. "I find it be razer relaxing and calm, and is good for when I need to just get away from Albraustana-zid and my duties for a few days," he explained, "Hunting is actually Cetatsenia's national sport and is quite popular with Cetatsens of all classes, though its popularity has been falling wiz ze nobility for some time now."

Then he looked over to the Ambassador who had so far remained politely silent while he'd conversed with Jia Li. "Even Ambassador Funar here used to be quite ze accomplished hunter," he said with a smile. This elicited a dry chuckle from the old man, "I was, but that was a long time ago. Back when my hair was as black as the Voivode's."

Then Gavril turned his attention back to the Empress, "So I am curious, what kind of hobbies do you have?"

Jia Li smiled and her eyes sparkled with amusement as she glanced at her husband beside her: a private joke. He had been the strictest of her keepers, worrying even more than her foster mother about her health. "I have hunted as well, though not as much as I would like," she admitted. "I'm more inclined toward indoor activities, but when I am able to venture outside I prefer riding.

"There were some concerns in my youth that kept my sister and I confined to the indoors, so I developed an interest in reading and computers." In fact, she found it much easier to be herself when hidden behind a screen and she explored her personality without fear in the early days of the internet; it was also probably what had driven her to seek equality and had reinforced the idea that she was a mere mortal unlike her predecessors.

"I'm not particularly artistic or talented, so much of my entertainment comes from the works of others," she continued.
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Intermaris
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Mosciski nodded at Xel’s answer.

- ‘True. Languages change over time and distance and even different cultures will add completely different meaning to the same word. Keeping only to titles one can find countries whose leader will call themselves “president” but is more akin to a monarch what with their holding of numerous powers and constant re-elections until their child takes the reign. On the other side we have monarchs who hold less powers than I do.’

And so he had gotten his reactions, much as anticipated, much as he had been told they would be. Even if their empress held some admiration for democratic ideals there were those around her that guarded their traditions. A pity, in a way, and it seemed Mosciski could only hope that some of that idealism would rub off on the heir and the fruitful era of enlightened monarchs would continue. At the very least that this Elisa would respect her mothers work and not destroy what little reforms she had managed to introduce.

And, a blessing, Xel had brought up a topic that steered them away from politics. The president silently chided himself; he should really learn to stop dragging politics in some form into everything.

- ‘Family Circumstances.’

Was the short answer before the man sighed.

- ‘Well, it is no secret. My elder brother was meant to follow my father into politics but he died, tragically. The job than fell to me.’

Mosciski finished with a shrug before attempting to change the topic.

- ‘Tell me, Xel. Do you ever find yourself missing life in uniform? I can only wonder at how drastically your life changed with your marrying the daemonesu-kami.’
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Demoness
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It was obvious from his posture and the way that he subtly maintained situational awareness that Xel had never truly given up his uniform and his reply was surprisingly not reticent. "It changed quite a bit," he admitted, nodding. "The High Priest has a lot of responsibility as the official liaison between the Church and the Empress and I find myself spending much of my life on my rear when I am used to being on my feet. Thankfully, my order is also very physical or I fear the temptation would be too great to return to the uniform." Jia Li gave a little half-annoyed smirk, which she tactfully hid behind her hand.
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Cetatsenia
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Gavril nodded at Jia Li's words, "I understand completely, my brother Vlad is ze artistic one in ze family. I've never really had much luck or skill in zat area." And now Gavril wasn't really all too sure where exactly to take the conversation, but he didn't wish to be rude and leave. He'd heard that the Intermarines would be attending as well, and it'd probably be good to search them out and make pleasant conversation of some sort, but he had no idea where they were. And he didn't want to make it look like he was ditching the Imperial family in order to speak with Cetatsenia's neighbours.

Luckily, he was saved by his stomach, which at that point let out a rumble that, while not loud, was still quite audible. Gavril let out an embarrassed laugh, "Sorry about zat, it's been pleasant talking to you, and I look forward to our next conversation. But I don't suppose zere is any food about, is zere?"
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