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Cetatsenia-Demoness Meeting
Topic Started: Nov 18 2013, 07:41 PM (8,313 Views)
Cetatsenia
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If one was to take a place from the nation of Demoness to Cetatsenia, one would most likely see the dichotomy that the nation was rather known for. In the southern parts of the nation one would notice the highlands, heavily forested and almost untouched by man aside from the winding roads and the occasional town. But further north, the terrain would give away to the lowlands of the Centric Basin. This land was flat, and lacked the expansive forests, though there were smaller isolated forests. But the main difference one would notice would be the level of development, it was dominated by a large amount of farmland as the lowland soil was incredibly fertile, but there was also the occasional city, bustling with people.

Albraustana-zid was one such city, and it was the primate city of Cetatsenia, the richest and most populous and most important of them all. It was built along both sides of the great Albastru River that ran through much of Cetatsenia, though most of it was on the southern bank of the river. This was because of the simple fact that Albraustana-zid had begun life as three separate forts and settlements built along the river. Albrau and Stana had been built on the Southern bank, and over time had grown together until they were finally united into Albraustana. And while Zid would eventually become part of the greater whole, for a long time it was simply considered a city separated from the capital only by the river.

Since it had grown organically over the numerous years, and had once been three separate cities, the streets and roads had a habit of being winding and could be complicated to navigate for those unfamiliar with them who had no map. Though the roads had over time been widened and revamped in order to accommodate cars, and the newest sections of the city on the outskirts actually had a gridded street plan. As it was the middle of the day, the streets were currently filled with cars and buses, and the sidewalks filled with pedestrians, while the newest addition to the city's transportation network, the subway system, ran below the streets.

While there was a number of attractions in the city, such as the museums and baths, one of the most prominent is the Palatul Regal, the Royal Palace. The site of the original settlement of Albrau and lying atop a hill, it has been torn down or otherwise destroyed and then subsequently rebuilt several times throughout history. The most recent being the ascension of Ioan I to the throne of Cetatsenia, though it has been renovated and updated since then.

The Palace itself is surrounded by a wall that rings the entirety of the hill, with only a single gate leading up to it. The wall is patrolled by a special corps of Cetatsenian soldiers, easily identified by their bright blue ceremonial uniforms and ornate, pointed helmets. After that, a road lead up to the palace proper, an expansive building with a stone exterior that shared more in common with a medieval castle than what one thinks of when they hear the word 'palace'. It was home to a fair number of servants, as well as the guardsmen, and a small number of government officials. Most of those lived out in the city, and worked in their own buildings. It was absolutely huge, and in front of it was an expansive pool of water. Overall, it was an impressive sight that could be seen from a good portion of the city.

At the moment, however, Voivode Gavril IV Suveraneshti was not at his home in the palace. Rather he was at the airport, which had been cleared of any citizens besides him, the guards arrayed with him, and those who worked there; all flights to this airport had either been delayed or rerouted to other nearby airports. Today was an important day, as this was the decided upon day of Jia Li's visit to Cetatsenia. As two nations whose relationship could be accurately described as "mutually neutral", this was a rather important meeting, and Gavril did not want to mess anything up. So he stood alongside his older sister Andreea, the Steward of Cetatsenia, in the airport, ready to head out onto the tarmac to greet the Empress as soon as her plane set down.
Edited by Cetatsenia, Apr 22 2014, 09:58 PM.
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Gavril nodded, "Zat is true. And most Cetatsens respect him for his decision to do so. Even if some do admit zat it may have been a bit foolhardy to risk his life like zat."

"And he was hardly ze only person of importance to do it, too. My grandfazer Sorin fought in ze war as well," Gavrila said proudly, "In fact, he and Aurel fought togezer numerous times. It is what got Aurel his position as personal servant to ze Knez of Sudest; despite what it sounds like, it is a very prestigious position. Aurel would have been made Commander of ze Garzile de Cneazul, ze Knezi's equivalent of ze Garzile de la Palat, were it not for his leg being badly injured near ze end of ze war."
Edited by Cetatsenia, Dec 12 2013, 12:21 AM.
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Demoness
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Jia Li frowned. "I don't follow. How did the injury prevent him from having that position?"
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"Despite all ze pomp and ze ceremonial uniforms ze Guardsmen are some of ze most well-trained and disciplined soldiers in Cetatsenia. You just don't see zem when zey're not dressed up for public presentation," Gavrila said, "And zeir Commander is generally taken from zeir ranks, and so is ze same way. Now, you may have noticed Aurel's limp; zat is not caused by his age. It is ze result of a razer large piece of shrapnel tearing zrough his leg decades ago, and because of it he was not deemed physically fit for service."
Edited by Cetatsenia, Dec 12 2013, 12:34 AM.
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Ariana frowned, which Xel found peculiar, but she wouldn't dare speak out of turn. "That's very sad," Jia Li said. "One of my adoni has a similar story, though she still tries to dismiss her injury. In this position as servant, what are Aurel's duties?" she asked, curious if his position was similar to Ariana's: deceptively unimportant, but vital.
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"Well, besides pretty much doing zings zat ze Knez asked him to do, he also served as ze personal bodyguard for ze Knez. Ze Guardsmen have ze duty to protect ze Palace and ze Knez, but if anyone managed to get past zem it was Aurel's duty to stop zem," Gavrila said, then her eyes turned downcast, "Emphasis on 'was'. I mean, he has definitely aged better zan most people, and is in far better shape zan most ozers his age. And technically he is still considered my personal bodyguard, but ze man is still 96 years old and one can only do so much at zat age."
Edited by Cetatsenia, Dec 12 2013, 12:51 AM.
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Ariana seemed to be intently listening to this portion of the conversation instead of simply being present and something in her eyes changed. She actually looked hopeless, as if something had been taken from her, but it was only her eyes that communicated her emotions; the rest of her body remained silent.

"It is a respectable position," Xel replied. "Many of the High Guardsmen become teachers when they are too old to 'defend' so that the next generation can learn from their mistakes, but letting Aurel remain in his position despite his physical health is very honorable." He shook his head. "And I wouldn't underestimate age. Lady Tsukihana still took a bullet in the chest for Jia Li at the age of 79. It's why our daughter is named after her."

With the mention of Adiwyn's name, Ariana's eyes lit with fire, which burned away her depression. Xel had hoped to incite anger; he had seen the hopeless look in his mother's eyes before and knew it was dangerous. She had trained to die by the age of 35; to live longer, even a happy life with a daughter she loved, she considered a tragedy and sought to remedy that fact the last time he'd seen that expression.
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"Well, I-" Gavrila began to say; however she was interrupted by Gavril, much to her surprise.

"I apologize for interrupting," Gavril said as Gavrila stared at him, it wasn't like him to interrupt people at all. However, while not an expert in body language, even he noticed the expression in Ariana's eyes. Andreea did as well, but figured it best not to get involved in any kind of dispute, whereas Gavril thought differently.

"Pardon me if it is nozing," he said, looking at both Xel and Ariana in turn, "But is somezing ze matter? I get ze distinct feeling zere is somezing else going on here." His tone made it fairly clear that it wasn't really a question, and he wouldn't believe them if they said no. He wouldn't necessarily pursue the matter and would most likely let it drop, but he wouldn't believe them nonetheless.
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Ariana's body immediately reflected that of a lowly servant and she lowered her eyes to the floor. Jia Li looked curiously toward them as well. "Aya?" she asked in a tone reminiscent of a plaintive kitten.

Ariana smiled genuinely and warmly at Jia Li. "Xe, pomeko," she assured her in a motherly tone.

When Jia Li looked to Xel, he shook his head. "Nothing," he replied and it was mostly true; it was nothing that concerned them and it wouldn't affect their visit to Cetatsenia. Ariana probably wouldn't even acknowledge it, but Xel would have to discuss her reaction with his father and Adiwyn Tsukihana upon his return to Demoness. Once, several years ago, she had a "mid-life crisis" during which she'd increased her aggressiveness to the brink of recklessness, but Adiwyn had helped Ikarin rein her back in. The discussion of how old Aurel was probably had sent her thoughts back to how she'd be "useless" in old age and to a person who thought of themselves as a tool with a shelf life, that was devastating.

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"I see," Gavril said simply. He wasn't particularly happy with Ariana's reaction, he'd have liked an answer from her as well. But considering the fact that she had shown very little emotion other than in her eyes, and her rather warm response to Jia Li, he supposed that for some reason or another it wouldn't be appropriate. If a similar situation had occurred between Aurel and Gavrila, for example, Gavrila would have answered first, but they would both have answered.

He wanted to know what exactly had happened, since Ariana seemed extremely angry. And while the conflict itself may not be any of his business, he'd rather not have anything like this causing trouble among the Demonessians while they were in his country. Especially when they were inside his own home. Perhaps he could see if Gavrila could get Aurel to speak with Ariana at some point, as he was a servant as well. But that was not important at the moment, and Gavril decided it best not to pursue the issue any further. And just to be safe, he figured he'd steer the topic away from Aurel, since that part of the discussion seemed to be the only part Ariana had paid any attention to.

"Anyway, as my cousin said, Ioan II and Sorin were not ze only nobles to fight in ze Second Great War," he said, "A fairly large portion of ze Cetatsen nobility who did not support or align zemselves wiz ze Intermarines were members of ze Armata de Eliberare Cetatsen. More commonly known as ze Cetatsen Liberation Army."
Edited by Cetatsenia, Dec 12 2013, 04:42 PM.
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Jia Li nodded. Little irregularities in her "mother's" behavior often escaped her since Ariana frequently acted as a completely different person in her presence, a transformation that often only servants and fellow guarded witnessed. Her mother had answered simply, like her husband, so it was a sufficient response for her. She knew Xel quarreled with his mother, but considering that Ariana had only treated him and his sister as tools for Jia Li's protection, Jia Li did not condemn the behavior, nor did she pry; she assumed this disturbance had been a result of them, however unusual the disruption had been.

"Tell me more," Jia Li replied to Gavril. "The war was different for your country. We participated in all the theaters, of course, but it is much different when the battles are waged in one's own homeland."
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